Some Dreams Won't Die
by 54Viruses
Summary: The continuation of Sam's story. Sam's family is still in danger from the Foot clan's search for the disk, and Stockman hasn't given up hope on getting his precious experiment back.
1. In my room

I do not own the TMNT or any other copy righted merchandise mentioned in this chapter.

This is the continuation of Some Dreams Won't Die. It's not really a new story so there isn't really an introduction chapter.

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Chapter one; In my room

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Travis rolled his eyes. "Mom," He called into the apartment, "You left your briefcase at the office remember?"

"Oh, right." Patricia Gelding hurried out of the apartment. "Then I guess I'm ready. Do you have everything you need for tonight?"

Travis patted his overstuffed backpack. "Yes Mom."

"Clean underwear?"

"MOM!" Travis didn't even wait for an answer before he turned and headed for the stairs. Mrs. Gelding shook her head and mentally scolded herself when she realized what she had asked him. Pulling a set of keys from her pocket, she turned and locked the apartment door securely.

Inside apartment three-sixteen everything was silent.

"Dudes! They have giant CD's!"

"Those aren't CD's Mikey. They're records."

"…what?"

Donnie shook his head and stepped out from behind an armchair. "Never mind." His three brothers soon came out of hiding as well.

"Spread out and find Sam's room." Leo ordered.

"And how are we supposed to know which room is hers?" Raph asked critically.

"Easy, look for the room with her name on the door." Mikey said.

"Right Mikey and just what makes you think…" Raph's voice trailed off when he saw his brother standing in the hall holding a sign that read 'Samantha's room; by appointment only.'

The four turtles moved to Samantha's room amid grumblings from their hot-head.

Since police investigators had picked through the room over three months ago a thin film of dust had settled over everything. Under the dust the room was neat. The desk was orderly and the bed was made, the books in the bottom four shelves of the bookshelf were straight and arranged by title. The top shelf was used to tastefully display a healthy collection of awards.

As soon as he saw the dresser Mikey grinned and started towards it. Leo smacked him upside the head and pointed Mikey towards the bed. "Party pooper." Mikey mumbled.

Donnie took the bookshelf, first pulling out the books and checking for disks or clues in the pages and then carefully replacing the books so as not to disturb the months of dust resting on the shelves. One of the books was titled Modern Captains of Industry. Don opened the book and nearly choked when he saw that Oroku Saki was bookmarked. The book was quickly replaced.

He then glanced curiously at the awards on the top shelf. "Impressive." Donnie noted. "Speech and Debate; first place, Monologue non-humorous; second place, Graphic Advertisement; third place, Business Management; first place, and here's for Track."

"Wow." Mikey noted as he pulled some heavy old textbooks out from under the bed, "Can you say 'over achiever'?"

"Yeah." Raph smirked, "It's pronounced 'Lee-Oh."

Leo pretended to ignore his brothers' snickers as he shifted through the dresser drawers, careful to avoid the notorious second drawer.

"Hey guys, did you notice how Sam took to Master Splinter better than she did the rest of us?" Mikey called from under the bed.

"Yeah, so?" Raph asked, he was carefully looked through a drawer filled with CD's. Classical, classical, country, contemporary Christian, classical…did this girl ever listen to real music? Or something that didn't start with a C at least.

"Maybe that was because of…_this!_" Raph stumbled back when his vision was suddenly filled with something fuzzy and brown. Once he had a few feet to focus he saw the ratty old Alf doll Mikey was holding. "See? It looks just like sensei!" Mikey exclaimed happily.

Raph smirked, "Yeah, it kinda' does."

Donnie glanced over his shoulder, "Guys, that's not nice…no matter how true it may be."

Leo's frown deepened. He refused to comment on his brothers' disrespect for their father and master…even if some small part of him agreed. Instead he closed the bottom drawer and stood to recheck the top of the dresser. There was a brush and comb, some simple toiletries and a highly polished black box with a few pieces of simple jewelry inside. Hanging just over the dresser was a vanity mirror with a blue 'Favorite Sister Award' ribbon stuck into the frame. Resting on the bottom frame of the mirror was a heavy silver locket with a picture of a brown haired, brown eyed boy smiling an easy smile.

"Hey guys, take a look at this." Donnie called. He was holding open a large hardback book.

"Donnie, we're not here to read Sam's schoolbooks, as appealing as they may be." Raph teased, but joined Mikey and Leo in looking over Don's shoulder to see what the big deal was.

It was a yearbook. The page was opened to several pictures of students, most of which were smiling. Donnie was pointing to a picture surrounded by _have a great year!_ and _call me!_ messages. The picture was labeled 'Samantha Gelding'. For a moment nobody spoke as they looked at the happy girl with eyes that danced and a confident smile; a huge difference from the usually reserved and solemn turtle girl back at the lair.

"We'd better keep looking for that disk." Leo finally said. Almost reluctantly the turtles returned to their appointed task. They quickly finished searching the bedroom and started to file through the door to look in the other rooms of the apartment.

Before closing the door behind him Leo looked over the room once more. It told of a bright, busy young girl who loved her family and, in secret places, still cherished her childhood. A part of him was ashamed that they'd violated such a personal space; another part felt sadness that Sam may never return to this, her home. After making a quick decision Leo stepped forward and grabbed the locket off the frame of the vanity mirror. He blew on the dust to reduce the appearance of disturbance and tucked the necklace into his belt before leaving.

The door clicked closed, leaving the room unoccupied and lonely.

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Please review. If this chapter left you totally confused please consider reading my previous fic "Some Dreams Must Die."


	2. Think about it

I do not own the TMNT

Aha! A solution to my own question is in this chapter! Watch for it!

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Chapter two; Think about it.

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Sam turned off the shower and stood for a moment breathing the steam.

She used her hands to wipe the excess water off her skin and…what had the guys called that thing? Plastron. Sam tapped on the shell covering her front and thought that it felt harder now than it had a couple days ago. Rougher too, and there was a different sound to it, like bone. Donnie said that her shell was still hardening and apparently he was right.

The curtain was pushed back and Sam reached for her towel. She briskly rubbed off her skin, carefully patting her injured arm dry and lightly brushing the towel over the plastic wrapped around the bandage on her leg. Finally, Sam wrapped the towel around her waist. Her shell, and the guys' shells apparently, had several little nooks and crannies that impossible to towel dry, the towel collected drips as their shells dried in the air.

Sam grabbed another towel and began rubbing her hair dry as she left the bathroom, careful to avoid the mirror over the sink. As she stepped out of the bathroom she nearly collided with April. Both girls stumbled back just in time. April lifted a corner of the towel covering Sam's face and smiled at her friend, "Enjoy your shower?" She asked. Sam smiled back and nodded slightly. "Good." April started off in the direction she was heading before she had nearly plowed into Sam, but Sam spoke up.

"What's with the notebook?"

April glanced down at the spiral notebook in her hand, "Oh, these are some notes on local building contractors. I've got to find somebody to repair the damage to my shop."

"If you'd like I could offer my nerdish expertise." Sam grinned.

"Nerdish expertise?" April questioned, one of her eyebrows lifting in amused interest.

"Business nerd expertise." Sam clarified,

"And just what do business nerds do?" April crossed her arms, the notebook dangling from her fingers as she waited for the punchline.

"It's simple really; we take control of the world through the economy and then pay off politicians to do our bidding."

Instead of laughing April seemed to pale somewhat, "Really…?"

Sam pulled the towel off her head, frowning slightly. "April? You do know I was kidding right?"

April seemed to shake herself out of her daze. "Of course you were. I'm sorry, I just sort of spaced there for a minute. Anyway, sure, I'd love any help you can offer. Let me know when you're done with your hair." She hurried off towards the kitchen.

For a minute Sam stared after her, bemused by the red-head's actions.

"Why do I keep getting the feeling they're hiding something from me?" Sam muttered. She shook her head and went to her room.

* * *

In the kitchen, April tossed her notebook onto the counter and leaned against one of the counters.

It had been a group decision that Sam wouldn't be told much about the turtle's underworld knowledge, especially in reference to the girl's idol. But her joke about business nerds had made April choke. Samantha knew that the disk had been slipped into her backpack while she was in Saki's limo, but she clearly didn't suspect that Oroku Saki could be involved in anything nefarious.

April felt torn, the first time she had spoken with Sam the girl had been withdrawn, her ability to trust nearly broken, her confidence buried more securely than the windows of Notre Dam. If learning what she had about Oroku Saki had made April paranoid, what would it do to Sam?

But one of the first things that had caused Sam to open up to April had been about her mother. Sam loved and sorely missed her family; she had a right to know more about how things stood and what the risks were, especially when she might still be able to help them.

April thumped her head against a cabinet door.

"You seem troubled, Miss O' Neil." April looked over to where Master Splinter had just come into the kitchen. She made a mental note to ask Sam how she managed to get the old rat to call her by her first name.

"Sam just said something that got me thinking about stuff." April said, hoping not to worry him.

Master Splinter nodded, but didn't look convinced. He continued to watch her in that patient but knowing way he had. April sighed and was about to explain her train of thought when Sam's panicked shout echoed through the lair.

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Reviews please!

Good reviews will be added to a pot and used to make an eternal life elixir for Master Splinter. Bad reviews will be cursed and returned to sender. Constructive criticism will be taken into serious consideration.

And for anyone who guesses what question I answered and how, you get a fantastic and absolutely free next chapter! Huzzah!


	3. Three Fronts

I do not own the TMNT or related themes and characters

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Chapter three; Three fronts

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Travis slouched in his chair, absently watching the clock as it ticked down till recess. After recess it was only an hour till school got out, then he would ride home with Zack and spend an emotionally fulfilling evening playing video games till their eyeballs dried up and all ten of their fingers fell off.

Or, at least, that's what Sam always said would happen.

"…TRAVIS!" Travis jumped in his seat as the teacher literally shouted his name.

"Uh, yes ma'am?" He said brilliantly.

The prune like old woman glared at him, making her look even more prune like. "I asked you what business persons going into the south were often called." She told him. Travis hadn't heard a word of her lesson on the Reconstruction Era and didn't have a clue what the answer might be.

"carpet baggers." Zack whispered helpfully from behind him.

"Carpet baggers." Travis repeated.

The woman squinted at him, "Thank you so much…_Zack._" Several of the students giggled. "You boys may see me as some old, dried up fool, but I'm not deaf, I do catch onto things." She glared at the both of them before turning back to the whiteboard, revealing the 'Ignore Me' sign that had been taped to her back since lunch.

It seemed to Travis that students at this school could get away with murder. After his fight with Dylan the principal had sent them to write lines in the Special Ed room, never even bothering to call their respective parents. Imagine; writing "I will not fight." one hundred times as punishment for bloodying another kid's nose. The real kicker was that after they had turned in their papers Dylan had punched Travis in the shoulder and asked Travis to sit with him at lunch.

Public school sure was different.

"I don't suppose you know the answer to that one do you Travis?" The teacher asked.

Travis blinked, refocusing his attention and scrambling to recall a single word of the teacher's lecture. "Scalawags?"

She blinked, "K-correct."

There was even more giggling and whispers this time as Travis sat back smugly.

The clock ticked closer to recess.

* * *

Below the surface of New York City things were a far cry from the child's play at recess.

"Ah…shell." The words were spoken half heartedly, as if the speaker knew they fell far short of the situation.

"Mousers." Leo stated. He and his brothers quickly drew their weapons and quietly closed in on the main entrance to the lair. Most of the entrance was intact, looking just like any other part of the sewer, but light and warmth poured out from several gaping holes in the bottom of Donnie's camouflaged doorway. Donnie quickly and reached up and pulled out one of the pipes and all four brothers stepped back, ready to fight as the door opened.

The lair was quiet. Far too quiet and far too empty. Leo signaled for his brothers to move in and start looking for clues. Raph quickly checked over the garage and armory, Don hurried to his lab while Mikey started checking on the bedrooms and Leo covered what was left. Despite the seriousness and potential dangers of the situation all of the turtles found themselves fighting the urge to call for their master or for the girls, all of whom were missing. The turtles soon regrouped at the bottom of the ramp leading to the main entrance.

"The Southeast entrance is damaged, that must be where they left. Did anybody find clues as to what happened here?" Leo spoke in a clear but rapid, no nonsense manner that commanded everyone's attention and focus. It was a tone he only used when things were very serious, or when he was scared and trying to cover it.

"There were mouser tracks leading to Sam's room." Mikey reported, he sounded worried. "They didn't go in but the sewer mud wore off and there weren't any tracks after they turned away."

"There's a katana, some arrows and one of Master Splinter's yumi missin' from the armory." Raph reported. His hands were on the handles of his sais, tightening and releasing his grip with pent up energy. "They were expectin' a fight."

"Someone searched through my lab, I don't know if they found what they were looking for or not." Donnie said.

Leo nodded. "Don, do how's your security coverage of the Southeast tunnels?"

Donnie shook his head, "Not good, the feedback from my security system in that direction has been sporadic at best ever since the tunnel under Delmont collapsed."

"Then we'll have to start searching for them on foot." Leo decided, "The best way to do that is to get started, let's go." His brothers nodded and hurried for the southeast entrance.

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"How dare you send my own ninja to threaten me!"

Reiko narrowed her eyes at the man in front of her, "I recall no threats, only promises Hideo." Although her tone was a light neutral her use of his given name was a veiled insult.

Hideo marched forward until he was less than a foot from the kunoichi, "Do you really think you have what it takes to kill me and make good on your threats?"

He was answered with a smile. "I know I do." Hideo's wrist was painfully twisted to the side and he was forced to drop the shurike he had tried to stab Reiko with. A swift kick to his gut sent him reeling back, barely maintaining his footing. "If you question my skills I would welcome a challenge, we both know I can handle both your duties as well as my own easily."

Hideo snarled, he flexed his wrist and another shurike came to his hand. "What makes you think you could defeat me in fair combat?"

Reiko lifted her eyebrows in amusement, "Fair combat? You? The two don't belong in the same sentence." Casually she reached up and patted the elegant twist of hair at the base of her skull.

The man only snarled again before turning on his heels and marching from the room. Reiko smiled as she tucked an elegant jade comb back where it had come from. She was careful not to scratch her skin with the sharpened tips; getting fugu oil in one's bloodstream was never a good idea.

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Hideo san left the women's quarters growling curses under his breath against the kunoichi. Reiko was the mistress of poisons, but she was also far too skilled in combat, as were all the kinoichi and female ninja in the clan. Hideo was unquestionably loyal to the Shredder, but his habit of treating women as if they were equal to men angered Hideo.

He was so engrossed in his angry thoughts he never heard the faint thwip of a needle cutting through the air, never even noticed it until he felt a sharp pain in his neck. Out of pure reflex he slapped at the sting in his neck, only to push the needle in further, introducing more of the toxin it was covered with into his bloodstream. Already he could feel his heart beating rapidly and his breathing come with greater difficulty. In less than three minutes he would be dead.

The only one who truly ever knew who killed Hideo was the murderer himself. The motive didn't matter, Hideo was hated and his cowardice and refusal to take responsibility for his failures had made him a very unpopular man. A very, unpopular dead man.

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Okay, quick summary;

Mousers break into the lair, Turtles go looking for Master Splinter and the girls.

Travis will be spending the night at Zack's house…yes that's important.

Hideo is dead, Reiko is now in charge of the search for the Disk.

Please review.


	4. The Game's Afoot!

I do not own the turtles, the rat or any of their associates, except Sam, and as I've said before I don't claim the whole female turtle idea.

Sorry about the delays in postings! I've been struck with a writer's block titled "Working during tourist season". Not fun.

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Chapter four; The Game's Afoot!

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"Leo! Hey Leo!"

Leo ran toward the tunnel Raph had gone down. "What is it?" He called as he drew closer, but he pulled to a stop before his brother had to answer. Mousers littered the bottom of the sewer pipe in various states of dismemberment. "Whoa."

Donnie and Mikey ran up behind Leo and Raph. "Dude." Mikey breathed, surveying the damage.

Donnie quickly knelt down and started examining the mousers, "This one was disabled by Master Splinter." He said while pointing to one that looked like it had been crushed by something blunt. After examining another he announced, "April took this one out, and that one, and that one too."

"What about this one?" Leo asked, he pointed to a mouser that had a strange dent in it unlike anything the guys' weapons would cause.

Donnie bent close and examined the damage to the mouser. "It looks like…I'd say this was done by an ax." He said. That's when he finally realized what was missing from the lab. "An Ax! Sam must have grabbed the utility ax from my lab!"

Leo nodded, "So all three of them were here."

"And kicking shell." Mikey added. He tapped one of the mousers with his foot. The mouser's jaw snapped shut and Mikey leapt back, screaming.

"So we know we're on the right path, let's go." Leo ordered. The turtles hurried between the ruined mousers.

It wasn't long before they came to the end of the tunnel and found themselves looking out at a shaft, the bottom of which was the location for a repair depot. "Isn't this the tunnel Master Splinter said that he and Sam had been chased by the mousers too?" Raph asked.

Leo nodded, "The question is; where did they go to from here?"

Behind him Donnie reached into his bag and pulled out a funny looking device he pulled over his eyes. "Let's see…" Donnie stepped over to the edge of the pipe and looked down. He used one hand to adjust the knobs on the device and held out the other hand, trusting his brothers to hold onto him as he leaned out over the edge. "Mouser tracks lead downward…then across the bottom and…there! Leo take a look at that!" Donnie stepped back and pulled off the device, shoving it over Leo's eyes. Leo adjusted the device and followed where Donnie was pointing.

"It looks like…a rope! And it's attached to one of Master Splinter's arrows!"

"Exactly." Donnie agreed as he took the device back. "They could have climbed straight across, gaining some distance over the mousers."

Beside Donnie, Raph grunted, "Great, we know where they went but how do _we_ go there?"

The genius opened his mouth to reply but stopped when he realized he didn't have any ideas. Both of them looked over to Leo for a plan and had just registered that he was still trying to think of a plan when something clicked and a rope zipped past them, soared across the shaft and lodged into the stone wall on the other side just above Master Splinter's arrow.

All three brothers followed the rope back behind them and watched as Mikey tied off the second end of the rope to a gas pipe running along the ceiling of the tunnel. He looked up at them and grinned. "Mikey," Leo said, sounding slightly stunned, "How did you do that?"

Michelangelo's grin grew wider and he pulled back one of his wrist guards to reveal a small black device that looked like Spiderman web shooters. "Nobody hooked Turtle Titan up with some tech and I got the rope from Donnie's bag when he wasn't looking."

Donnie looked torn between clutching at his bag of tricks protectively and feeling hurt that Mikey was getting tech from somebody other than him. "So, when did you start carrying that around?"

Before he answered Mikey stepped up to the edge of the pipe and reached for the rope that Raph and Leo were already beginning to cross, "When did you start carrying pigeon puppets around with you?" He quipped before easily pulling himself up and hurrying to catch up with the two turtles that were almost halfway across the shaft by now.

For a moment Donnie stood there frowning, "I could have made a grappling hook launcher." He muttered, "And it would have been designed better too." His voice sounded slightly bitter.

"Yo! Donnie! Move yer shell!" Raph called. Donnie quickly grabbed the rope and followed his brothers before he fell too far behind.

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Please review.


	5. Perspective Shift

I do not own the TMNT or related themes and characters. Sam is mine.

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Chapter five: Perspective Shift

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"I think I hear them." Leo announced. His brothers nodded, also hearing the mechanical noises ahead. They drew their weapons and picked up their already blistering pace.

Soon the turtles saw them as well. The robots lined the floor and walls of the tunnel as far as could be seen and moved like little soldiers away from the turtles, intent on their target ahead. "Okay." Donnie said. "According to what we've been told the robots are focused on getting to Sam. We should be able to pick them off from the back without any of the mousers-"

"Incoming!" Mikey shouted. He swung with his nunchucks and knocked a mouser out of its trajectory towards Donatello's head. Ahead of them in the tunnel several dozens of the robots were turning around and clearly meaning to attack the turtles.

"Or, their programming could have been modified." Donnie amended before bringing his staff up to start battling the mousers.

The turtles fell back on their old pattern for battling the mousers. Michelangelo and Donatello used their blunt weapons to knock the robots back or smash them if possible, while Raph and Leo used their blades to stab, slice and chop the mousers into functionless bits. The plan seemed to be working as well as it ever did, they were putting mousers out of commission and moving forward, but something was wrong this time.

"This isn't," Raph grunted, ramming his sais into two of the little robots, "Fast enough! We'll never get through like this!"

"I know!" Leo answered. He used his longer blades and took out four of the mousers in one double handed blow. Those six were a mere drop in the bucket compared to the mass in front of them. "We need something faster! Donnie, please tell me you have an idea."

Donnie's bow scraped along the bottom of the tunnel, sending several of the mousers back, only to have them come back for more, or head in the direction where Master Splinter and the girls were probably fleeing in.

"I have one, though it might be suicide." Donnie said.

"Talk to me Donnie." Leo encouraged, trying to stay low and slash at more of the mousers.

"Well," Donnie said, "It works with the foot ninja!" He announced. With that he stepped back, then ran forward and used his staff to vault over the rear most mousers and onto the further up ones. He then started running, jumping from one mouser's metallic, tooth filled head to the next.

"Follow the geek!" Raph called. He stepped back and soon followed Donnie. Leo and Mikey exchanged a quick look before nodding together and chasing after their brothers.

It was harder than pulling the same stunt with human stepping stones. Humans tended to go down after getting stepped on. Mousers acted like springs and would jump after the turtles after being run over. The turtles had to fend off these jumpers while avoiding the open maws of mousers that had turned and were ready to crunch down on their feet. Fortunately it wasn't long before they heard the familiar and welcome sounds of battle ahead of them.

"Master Splinter! We're coming!" Leo shouted.

"Hang on April!"

"Sam!"

"Cowabunga!"

Donnie arrived at the scene of the battle ahead of his brothers. Once again using his bo staff, Donnie vaulted the last few yards and came down with a crunch on a mouser that had slipped past the three's defense and was about to attack them from behind. He then turned and attacked the oncoming mousers with skill and force enough that April was able to fall back with Sam in tow. Raph, Mikey and Leo were not far behind and soon the ninja mutants were lined up, shoulder to shoulder, fighting as only a family such as theirs was capable of.

Samantha stood several yards behind the line that they had set up with her eyes wide. She had seen the guys train, but that was nothing compared to the teamwork and skill they were now displaying. "Sam, come on. We have to move." April urged. Sam was barely able to tear her eyes away from the fighting so that she could follow April.

The two girls ran down the tunnel away from the mass of metal that was tracking Sam. April kept a guiding and somewhat protective grip on Sam's arm with one hand while she continued to hold her katana with the other. Sam still gripped Donnie's utility ax in her free hand as she tried to keep up with April's pace.

"Ahn-" Sam clamped her mouth shut to avoid making any more noise but April had already heard it. She drew to an immediate stop and turned to Sam with concern.

Sam was exhausted. Between her injuries, her recent illness and the heavy shell on her back she was not able to keep up with April or Master Splinter. Their frequent rest stops on her behalf had been the main reason that the mousers kept catching up to them. She had considered running off alone again but she it seemed like someone always had their hand on her, probably to prevent that very course of action. "I'm…fine." Sam gasped.

"Uh-huh." April replied skeptically.

Instead of trying to answer, Sam nodded. She lifted the ax a little further and started forward, despite April's protests. The guys were buying them some time; they needed to use that time to get as much distance between themselves and the robots.

Sam moved her tongue in her mouth until she felt enough saliva to swallow. After moistening her throat Sam tried to speak again, "Donnie," Her voice was scratched and it crackled slightly. Sam swallowed and tried again. "Donnie said that a vet chip detector thing might be able to find the tracking device, right?" Sam asked.

April nodded. "What are you thinking?" She asked, afraid she already knew.

Sam started moving faster, a determined light in her eyes that belayed the exhaustion of her other features. "We need to get topside."

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Please review.


	6. The Clinical Approach

I do not own the TMNT or related themes and characters.

Sam, Travis and Zack are mine.

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Chapter six; The Clinical Approach

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"And this is my room." Zack explained. "Just drop your stuff where ever."

Travis nodded; literally dropping his backpack as he looked around the room. "Cool room." He commented. Unlike Travis's room, this one was clean and neat. It was a little like Sam's except it was clearly a boy's room and there were electronics everywhere. There were several game systems, a fancy digital clock and sitting on Zack's desk was a computer monitor.

"You have your own computer?" Travis marveled, "That is so _cool!_"

Zack shrugged, "Don't you?"

"Hun-uh." Travis shook his head, "I asked Mom for one once, but she gave me this really long speech about money management and responsibility and all. A no would have worked too."

"What is it with moms and lectures?" Zack asked as he walked through his room, pulling out video games and a few snack that looked like they might have been hidden from his own mother's eyes. He handed Travis a stack of different games.

Travis sat on the floor and started looking through the games, "I think it's a girl thing, Sam was starting to lecture me sometimes too."

"Yeah, probably a girl thing. No more long talks tonight though." Zack grinned, "Pick something you like and it's Game Time!"

* * *

Sam crouched behind a dumpster, trying not to think of what a veterinary clinic might throw away. Her hiding spot was precarious at best due to the alley still being partially lit by daylight. It was still early in the evening and Samantha was terrified that one of the clinic's employees would return for something they'd forgotten.

"We're in." April called in a stage whisper. Sam stood up and quickly moved through the alley to the door, slipping in while April held it open.

"Does it bother you that you can do that?" Sam asked as she placed both the katana and the utility axe on a counter where they could quickly reach them.

"Do what?" April smiled mischievously as she reactivated the clinic's security system.

"Never mind. Where do you think they keep the ID chip stuff?" The two of them moved slowly through the clinic, opening drawers and cupboards. They tried to be thorough so they wouldn't miss the device but it was hard not to wonder how close the mousers might be getting.

After several minutes of searching, April held something up that looked like a white TAZER. "Found it!"

Sam hurried over to her, "Great, do you know how to use it?"

April nodded, "I think I can figure it out. Hold still."

Sam did as she was told. April held the device close to her arm and pressed a button. She then slowly moved the device up over the green skin of Sam's arm, over the shoulder, and out of Sam's range of vision. Shortly after she lost sight of the device Sam heard a beep and April groaned a little. "Found it." April reported, not sounding overly enthusiastic.

"Great!" Sam felt a sense of tentative relief, "Then we can get it out!"

"Not really." Still no enthusiasm from April.

"Why not?"

"The tracking device is under your shell, maybe even inside of it."

"Then…can't we still get it out?" Sam asked, confused.

In reply she felt her entire back from her shoulders to the highest part of her legs vibrating as April knocked on her shell. The vibrations nearly made Sam nauseas. "Your shell is too hard, I don't know what would cut through it and I really don't want to compromise the strength of your carapace." April explained.

Sam turned around and gave April a slightly annoyed look. "April, don't you think robots trying to EAT ME might compromise the strength of my shell?"

April had to admit, the girl had a point. "Fine, we'll look around and try to find something." She assented. Sam nodded and they split up to search the clinic again. Scalpels weren't sharp enough and they couldn't find a surgical drill. April found an office and started skimming through the textbooks for information on operating on chelonians, but couldn't find anything helpful. Her crash course on veterinary medicine was interupted when Sam shouted from another room.

"_April! Is this thing what I think it is_?" Sam called.

April quickly replaced the book she was reading and hurried through the clinic till she came into the small operating room. Sam was closely inspecting a large machine with several long wires. One of these wires ended in a small device that looked like a fat pen. As soon as April came into the room Sam looked up hopefully, "This is a surgical laser right?" After inspecting it herself April nodded. "Could it…cut through bone?" Sam asked.

"Theoretically." April answered slowly, "But I'd need Donnie's help to open the safe and get the analgesics out."

Sam's skin paled slightly but her face hardened. "No drugs." She said. "I can deal with pain but I will _not_ have any more drugs."

"Sam…" April started.

"No." Sam repeated. "We need to get that tracking device out but I will _never_ let anyone put another drug in my system." For a moment the two girls stared at each other; Sam's face was as stone, her eyes were hardened with mental and emotional scarring.

"No… drugs." April finally repeated. Sam seemed to relax a little, gratitude flashed across her face. "But I'm still going to need Donnie's help." April insisted. She quickly stood and turned to go back to the office but before she left the operating room April paused and turned back to Sam, who now looked deflated and tired. "Sam?"

Quickly Sam sat up and pretended she wasn't as tired as she was. "Yes?" Her eyes blinked just a little too fast as she tried to feign wakefulness.

April frowned, "Hang in there okay?" Sam nodded and April hurried to call Donnie's shell cell from the phone in the office.

* * *

Please review.


	7. First Do No Harm

I do not own the TMNT

Sam, Travis and any other characters you don't recognize are mine.

* * *

Chapter seven; First Do No Harm

* * *

"No drugs. Never!" Samantha repeated.

"But Sam-"

"No." Although she spoke with normal volume Sam seemed to easily overpower Donnie's half yell.

Donatello had rigged up a system and set off a controlled collapse of the tunnel most of the mousers had been in. Shortly after that he had received the call from April asking for his help. Now Raph and Mikey were guarding the tunnel, waiting for the mousers to tunnel through while Master Splinter had returned to the lair and Donnie and Leo had driven the battle shell over to the clinic.

"Samantha, I refuse to perform any type of surgical procedure on you without the aid of analgesic chemicals on moral and humane grounds." Donnie insisted. Although he only fell back on the technique when he was dead set on getting his way, Don was purposefully using as large of words as possible to confuse Sam.

For her part, Sam stood with her feet spaced and her hands at her side looking like she was in debate team and her argument was more solid than it had ever been in actual competition. "My shell, my choice. _No drugs_."

"Sam-" Donnie started again.

"Don." Leo interrupted. He grabbed his brother and pulled him aside.

April stepped up to Sam and put a hand on the younger girl's shoulder. "Sam, you know Donnie would never do anything to hurt you, none of us would."

Sam closed her eyes and nodded, "I know, but I _can't_ go through that again, not even a little. I just _can't_!" She rubbed at her eyes before forcing them open. It had been a long day and it wasn't over yet.

Leo talked quietly to Donnie, "Maybe she's right here."

Donnie looked at Leo as if to check that his brother's sanity were still intact. "Leo, this is _laser_ surgery. While it has a lot of advantages over traditional surgery it is also _extremely_ painful." He glanced down nervously. "I don't think I could purposefully do that to anyone."

"But in this case couldn't the drugs do even more harm?" Leo suggested gently. "What about that doctor's oath? First do no harm?"

"I think a better fitting description here would be 'the benefits outweigh the negatives' and in this situation I guess that puts everything into schedule one." Donnie admitted sadly.

Leo nodded, having no idea what Donnie had just said but judging from the tone in his brother's voice he was about to give in. Donnie looked up, "Leo, I don't think you understand just how painful this could be for her. The underside of her shell is still sensitive from the mutation, the heat and cutting from the laser will be horrible once it gets to the lower layers of her shell, excruciating once it gets past the shell and into her back! Furthermore, the ID detector isn't exact! I might have to look around for the device!" Donnie's eyes were begging Leo to let him off. Leo wished he could.

He looked up at Sam in time to see her rubbing at her eyes again. She looked tired, worn out physically and emotionally; just like she had the last time the mousers had found her, and the time before that. Although Leo didn't want to force Donnie to do something that would cause Donatello to deal out such a level of pain, he knew that Sam had to just about be at the end of her rope. Beside her April was trying to offer some comfort. Their human friend also looked tired, having been chased first from her store and home, then from the lair. Casey had been chewed up pretty bad and the turtles were having a hard enough time trying to protect Sam's family without worrying about those mechanical devils in the sewers.

It was either perform the operation tonight and cause excruciating pain to their friend, or leave the chip in a little longer to see if another option arose while the mousers continued to chase Sam.

Leo looked back at Donnie. "Don, I think Sam can handle the pain. Do you think she can handle another day of running? Especially when she's still recovering from all that she's already been through?"

Donnie sighed, his head drooping a little. Finally he straightened up. "Fine, but I'll need some antiseptic, the smoke vac, surgical scrub, gauze…" As Donnie continued to list off necessary supplies Leo caught Sam's attention and nodded. Samantha smiled gratefully and seemed to let a breath of pent up air loose.

Leo just hoped he hadn't overestimated her tolerance for pain.

* * *

"Best two out of three!" Travis laughed as he dug through his bag.

"I've already beat you six times! Four on the last one and way too many to count on the one before that!" Zack retorted as he popped a disk out of the game player.

"I know, but it sounds good in the movies!" Travis smiled as he pulled out his night clothes and tossed them on the bed before finally finding what he was looking for. "Finally!" He tossed Zack the box, "My all time favorite! I didn't know if you had the system so I brought it anyways."

Zack held his oreo in his mouth while he looked at the box. It was one of those older games inspired by either a movie or a television show. "You like arcade games?" He asked around the cookie.

Travis nodded, "Love 'em. Although I kind of hate that level where the room's on fire and the girl just sort of stands in the corner looking scared while you get your butt kicked by the boss."

"That's about all girls are good for." Zack nodded sagely and shook his cookie to emphasize his point. He then put the whole cookie in his mouth while he started hooking up the necessary system. Both boys looked up when they heard Zack's mother calling down the hall for them to wash up for dinner.

"That and cooking dinner." Travis added to Zack's statement before he headed for the bathroom.

Zack quickly finished chewing his cookie before he left the room. His mom didn't like him eating sweets before dinner and she would throw a fit if she knew Zack had given them to Travis as well. Before he left something that had fallen out of Travis's bag caught Zack's attention.

It was a slightly scratched CD with a black label covered in some kind of foreign writing. Zack picked it up and put it back in Travis's bag, figuring he'd ask about it after dinner.

* * *

Please review.


	8. Cut that we might Heal

I do not own the TMNT or related themes and characters.

Sam is mine.

* * *

Chapter eight; Cut that we might heal

* * *

As Donnie calibrated and familiarized himself with the surgical laser Leo watched April help Sam.

After tying all of her thick brown hair out of the way Sam's shell had to be scrubbed down and the area where the tracking device was located had to be carefully marked with a nontoxic marker for Donnie to follow. Sam then climbed up onto the operating table and sat with her shell to Donnie. April handed her a small wooden dowel to use as a mouth guard. Finally April pulled a blue hairnet over both hers, and Sam's hair before passing out the surgical masks.

April and Sam quickly tied theirs on, but Leo and Don had some difficulty getting the ties to stay on without ears or regularly shaped heads. Finally the girls had pity on the hapless turtles and helped them tie the surgical masks to their ninja masks. April then passed out protective goggles -also supported by ninja masks- before she took her place beside Donnie with the smoke vac.

Leo retrieved a high stool so that Donnie could more easily reach the top of Sam's shell. After a brief pause Donnie spoke up. "Sam, it's not too late to change your mind." He offered.

Samantha's voice was clear and strong despite the exhaustion in her eyes. "I'm not going to change my mind. Let's get this over with."

April started the vacuum and Sam felt a hand on her shoulder as Donnie braced her shell and started to cut. Sam swallowed down her nerves and clamped the dowel between her teeth and pulled the mask up over her mouth and nose. She blinked in surprise when Leo slipped his hand into hers but didn't object.

She could already feel the heat of the laser between her shoulders.

* * *

"Yes! Finally!" Travis threw his arms up and reveled in the glory of his victory.

Zack laughed, "Yeah, _finally._" He teased. His smile grew bigger, "Best two out of three?" He asked. While Travis chuckled at the earlier reference Zack had just reminded himself of something, "Hey, I saw a CD in your backpack, what is it?" He asked.

Travis looked confused, "CD?" He repeated. Then he remembered. "Oh! The black on right?" Zack nodded, Travis shrugged non committedly, "I found it in Sam's room the day she disappeared. I've sort of been holding onto it."

Zack nodded, "Yeah, I still have my dad's old beret. So what kind of music is it?"

Travis shrugged. "That's the funny part, it doesn't work on my CD player."

Again Zack nodded. He watched Travis set up the game for another match while he puzzled over this information. "Think maybe it's a CD ROM?" He finally asked.

"What?" Travis looked over at Zack like his brain capacity had just doubled.

"A CD ROM, maybe it's for the computer." Zack suggested.

Travis's brown eyes popped open wide, "You're right! Sam took all kinds of computer classes! That has to be what it is!" He jumped to his feet and scrambled back to his backpack before pausing and glancing sheepishly over his shoulders. "Eh-heh, could I borrow your computer?" He asked politely.

Zack stood up and moved to his desk to boot his computer up, "No problem."

Soon they had popped the disk in and were waiting for the program to load. Travis was starting to feel embarrassed about his excitement; it was probably just some homework assignments or reports for school. At most it might be a diary.

"Whoa." Zack whistled, drawing Travis's attention back to the screen.

Letters, numbers, diagrams and more of those strange characters like the ones on the CD filled the screen and started to scroll past faster than the eye could follow. "Travis, man, was your sister trying to take over the world or something?"

Travis stared at the screen in slack jawed shock, "She joked about it but I swear I thought she was kidding!"

The figures continued to flash past on the screen in black and white text. "So, uh…" Zack mumbled, "Do we call the Justice Force or what?"

"WHAT!?" Travis squeaked and stared at his friend. "I can't call tell on Sam to the Justice Force! We don't even know if she's doing anything wrong!"

* * *

Oroku Saki sat behind his desk, idly going through some papers. While the Utroms had held him back from his attempts to gain political and military power on this planet he had developed a sort of taste for the more subtle power that came with business and money. There was also a greater 

challenge to it than simply destroying one's enemies through might; a much more satisfying victory came from cornering one's pray without the use of a single traditional weapon.

His thoughts and plans were interrupted when a notice came up on his computer. It was labeled urgent with the Foot clan symbol on the side indicating that it truly was urgent. He accessed the notice and smiled at what this simple computer reported.

Saki pulled out a simple black communication device and pressed one of the buttons.

"_I am here Master._" Reiko's voice came over the device.

"The Disk has been activated. Go to its location and retrieve it immediately." Saki ordered.

"_I will attend to the matter personally Master._" Reiko replied.

Oroku Saki frowned as he broke off the connection and contemplated the Disk. It held a great deal of information that could be harmful to his corporation. It was supposed to have been destroyed, and would have been, if it weren't for that slippery Peters man.

If Reiko was worthy of her training she would retrieve the disk tonight, no matter who or what stood in her way.

* * *

Enter dramatic Shredder theme here.

Please review!


	9. Don't Scream

I do not own the TMNT or related themes and characters

Sam, Travis, Zack and 'Zack's mom' are my characters.

* * *

Chapter nine: Don't Scream

* * *

At the end of what looked like a large pen, irritated tissue quickly gave way, smoking slightly as it did and only bleeding a little. The smoke that rose from the tissue rose in puffy white whiffs before getting caught in the suction of the vacuum and being pulled out of the way before it could build up and block Donnie's vision.

He had been carefully examining the area April had marked off as the location of the tracking device, but he hadn't found anything yet. Mentally he tore himself into little pieces as physically he edged the laser over to search another area of the surgical site.

Leo stayed with Sam giving her as much support and encouragement as he could, but from the glazed look to her eyes she had probably tuned him and everything else out as much as possible nearly twenty minutes ago. Her skin was a solid sheen of sweat with fresh beads rolling down her face and arms often. When her breathing had become shallow April had insisted she take off the surgical mask and replace it with a large veterinary oxygen mask.

Interestingly though, while she refused to release Leo's hand, she didn't squeeze it in reaction to the pain she had to be feeling. She didn't make any noise beyond the faint crunch when the wooden dowel had splintered some time ago.

According to the clock on the wall it had been fifty-four minutes since Donnie had first started using the laser and as more time went by the more Leo was fighting the impulse to stop the surgery. He wasn't sure who he wanted to yell at more, himself for arguing Donnie into it, or Sam for refusing all and any meds.

Sam's hand suddenly tightened its grip on Leo's hand and she hissed, her eyes squeezing shut. Behind her Donnie reached for the surgical pack and picked one of the tools up.

"Don?" Leo asked worriedly.

"Hold on a second…" Donnie mumbled. He although his hands were steady his expression flinched slightly when Sam made another barely restrained noise. Finally he moved the instrument over to the surgical tray and put it down. He then grabbed the laser again and worked for only a few seconds before announcing; "There! Got it!"

The laser and the vacuum were both shut off as Donnie hurried to close. Unfortunately this part of the procedure was the most painful for Sam. She whimpered as Donnie bit his lip and grabbed several gauze pads and some surgical tape. Tears streamed down her face and around the oxygen mask until Donnie finally announced, "Finished! We got it Sam! The tracking device is out and destroyed!"

Sam nodded vaguely. The mask slipped from her fingers and her eyes started to roll back into her skull before closing. She slumped to the side where Leo caught her.

Just then a strange voice echoed through the clinic, "I don't know who's in here, but I'm calling the police!"

* * *

"I scream! You scream!" Zack's mother laughed. "We all scream-"

"Mom!" Zack groaned, "We're not little kids any-"

"-For ice cream!" Travis interrupted. He and Zack's mother laughed while Zack just looked confused for a moment before laughing himself.

Although it was nearly midnight Zack's mom had found out they were still awake and instead of yelling at them or ordering for the boys to go to bed, she had offered ice cream. Now they sat around the kitchen laughing and talking over bowls of vanilla, Rocky Road and peanut butter latte ice cream.

Travis thought that Zack's mom was pretty cool. She wasn't as uptight as Mrs. Gelding and she was far more willing to bend the rules. Zack's mom also smiled more; she kind of reminded Travis of how his mom used to be.

Suddenly the bowl in Zack's hands slipped and fell into his lap. His pajamas were splattered with half melted chocolate ice cream. Zack grinned sheepishly while his mom helped him move the bowl and as much of the mess as possible into the sink without messing his clothes up more. Travis was as helpful as possibly by trying to smother his laughter but failing miserably. Finally Zack's mom ordered for Zack go to his room to change. Zack carefully hopped off the counter and tried to walk with as little cold on his skin as possible.

"And don't forget clean underwear." Travis added. Zack glared at him but once he saw the impish look on Travis's face he couldn't help but laugh some at his own expense.

Both Travis and Zack's mom chuckled slightly as the larger boy half limped half waddled from the room. Zack's mom then looked at Travis thoughtfully. "So, Travis." Zack's mom tried to change the subject from cold underpants before her son got back. "Are you doing any sports this year?"

Travis poked at his ice cream and shook his head. "Nah, Mom's still a little overprotective. I'm not allowed to do anything outside of school and Mass." He smiled a little sadly, "Mom and Dad had a huge argument over just letting me spend the night."

Zack's mom frowned; Travis's mother's concern could prove harmful in the long run if she didn't let up. "I think I'd like to meet your mom. Could you talk to her about that?"

Travis nodded, he was thinking that his mom having a new friend of her own might help her loosen up. "Sure, I can do that."

"m-Mom?" Zack stuttered. Zack's mom and Travis both turned to see Zack, clothes still coated in chocolate, standing in the entrance to the kitchen. Behind him stood a person, probably a woman, dressed completely in black and holding a dagger to Zack's throat.

* * *

Please review

* * *

The next chapter may take a while...College starts up again in two weeks and I haven't even begun to pack. (eh-heh, Chronic procrastinator.)

When I do show up again I promise to update all my unfinished stuff!


	10. Time is an Enemy

I do not own the TMNT

Sam, Travis, Zack and Diane are mine (Diane is Zack's mother)

Challenge to anyone who can draw; I want to see any of the turtles holding a female mutant turtle. Must have shell!

* * *

Chapter ten; Time is an enemy

* * *

Donatello and April exchanged worried glances while Leo carefully lifted Samantha off the operating table.

"We need to distract whoever it is and get Sam out of here." Leo instructed.

"And I need time to clean up." Donnie added. At Leo's questioning look he explained, "We can't leave any of Sam's blood behind. Somebody might put it under a microscope and learn more than would be safe."

Leo nodded and was about to say something when April interrupted. "Okay, Leo got Sam? Donnie, start cleaning. I'll take care of everything else." She grabbed a couple scalpels out of the surgical pack still on the tray and headed for the door of the operating room. Donnie did as he was told and grabbed a spray bottle filled with a yellow brown solution as Leo carried Sam over to the door as well.

April put a hand on the light switch as she waited for Leo to get into position. Once he was ready April shut off the lights and hurried through the door in full surgical scrub, speckled with blood and holding the scalpels high. Soon both turtles could hear April and some other woman yelling at each other. Their favorite red-head had concocted a story about 'years of research' being ruined by the interruption while the other woman tried to calm her down.

Soon the voices quieted as the speakers moved away. Once Leo was sure the coast was clear he glanced back at Donnie, who was busily scrubbing down the laser, before slipping out the door and carrying Samantha out of the building as quickly as possible.

Holding Sam made it impossible to open any of the doors of the battle shell. Leo was forced to carefully set her down on the ground, leaning her shell against the tire of the vehicle as he quickly pulled open the back doors. By the time Leo returned to where he'd left Sam she was moving a little and grimacing.

"Hang on, it's almost over." Leo encouraged as he slid one arm under her legs and braced the other on her shell, careful to avoid the bandaging. When he lifted her she hissed in pain and after holding her breath for a moment she opened her eyes.

"I fainted?" She asked, sounding incredulous.

"I've always preferred the term 'passed out'." Leo suggested. He moved her over to the back of the armored truck and gently set her on the floor of the vehicle. As he hopped in beside her Sam braced herself against one of the seats Donnie had installed and pulled herself up, gritting her teeth against the near agony. But she'd had worse; that was why she hadn't been to happy to learn that she'd…'passed out'.

Sam looked up in time to catch Leo watching her before he quickly busied himself shutting the back door of the battle shell then opened the front doors for Donnie and April. It wasn't long before the two missing members of their party came running out the back door of the clinic. Donnie jumped into the driver's seat and started the engine while April passed Sam's -or rather; Donnie's- utility axe back to Leo and settled the katana on the floor beside her.

The battle shell tore out of there just as a woman came running into the alley shouting and waving her arms angrily.

* * *

Diane stared in horror at the sight before her; her only child stood in his dirty pajamas being held hostage, a blade pressed to his throat by what looked like a ninja. "Do not look so alarmed." The ninja soothed. The voice was female and lightly accented. "If I can obtain your complete and total cooperation no harm with befall you or the children."

"What do you want?" Diane demanded. She wanted to run forward and snatch Zack away from the masked woman, but she knew Zack could be dead before she got there.

The ninja seemed to sense her thoughts and tightened her hold on the knife, forcing Zack to step closer to her as the knife pressed against his skin. "My master requires a disk. It appears as a simple compact disk with a black label." She explained.

Travis's bowl of ice cream crashed to the floor. The bowl shattered and splattered cold melted ice cream everywhere.

"I'll assume that means you have seen it." Her voice was amused.

All Travis could do was nod.

"Very well." The voice behind the mask was smug. "Show it to me."

Slowly Travis pushed off of the counter he sat on and carefully stepped around the mess on the floor. Diane shoved her bowl into the sink and was about to follow when the masked woman ordered, "Stop. You will stay here. The boy will show me the disk." She stepped out of the kitchen, pulling Zack with her. As soon as Travis followed them another figure, this one taller and most likely male, stepped into the kitchen. Although his hands hung easily by his side there was no ignoring the sword strapped to his back.

Travis scooted around the crazy ninja girl, careful not to make eye contact with Zack. He was sure that if he did he would start crying, and that might make the ninja angry.

As soon as he was on the other side of the ninja woman Travis hurried to Zack's room and made straight for the computer. He pressed the button for the disk drive and hopped impatiently on his heels as the computer whirred and clicked before finally popping out the disk. Travis grabbed the disk and instantly felt his heart somehow both sink, and jump into his throat.

It was the wrong CD. The evil ninja woman would definitely not like it if Travis handed her a video game. No matter how cool the video game was. Now Travis could remember taking Sam's CD and switching it with the game, but he couldn't remember what he had done with Sam's CD after that!

After a nervous glance over his shoulder at the masked woman and his terrified friend Travis swallowed hard and grabbed the box for the game that had been in the computer. It was empty. Frantically now Travis started looking through all the other boxes they had used that night. He then tossed them aside and started digging frantically through his back pack.

"ZACK! Where did you put it?!" Travis's voice squeaked but he didn't care.

"I don't know! I thought you had it!" Zack's own voice was laced with panic and sounded more like a whimper than a retort. Travis upended his backpack and began shifting through the contents as quickly and thoroughly as possible.

* * *

Once again; the Disk is missing. Slippery little thing, ain't it?

Please review.


	11. Escaping a Foothold Situation

I do not own the TMNT.

Don't you hate it when you lose stuff? You put it down somewhere but you can't remember where and no matter how hard you look you can't find it? Then the evil ninja woman shows up and holds your best friend hostage and you _still_ can't find it? And all the while you're searching somebody is asking stupid questions like "where did you put it?".

That's so annoying.

* * *

Chapter eleven; Escaping a Foothold Situation.

* * *

"It's not here!"

"How can it not be here?!" Zack shouted.

"I don't know! It's just not here!" Travis repeated.

"But-" "How-" The boys started to talk at the same time, the situation was quickly growing chaotic.

"Silence!" Both boys became as if mute and Travis stared at the ninja still holding Zack. "Where did you last _see_ the disk?" The ninja asked.

"In the CD ROM thing." Travis answered; despite the situation he looked annoyed. It was _missing_, knowing where it used to be wasn't going to help him find where it was _now_.

"And what is currently in the disk drive?" The ninja woman's voice was cold.

"A game! It's not the CD, I don't know where the CD is!" He knew that this woman would kill Zack soon if he didn't do something. But he had no idea what to do. If his dad were here…he couldn't do anything either. Being so young Travis was used to being helpless, but the actual and sickening sensation was new to him. It scared him. "Please just go away!" Travis shouted, sounding as scared and childish as he felt. At that moment he wanted nothing more than for Sam to come and protect him, but she couldn't. All Travis could do now was to shout and hope that he wouldn't start crying.

"Then you are of no use to me." The ninja removed her large knife from Zack's throat and pushed him forward. "Continue searching for the disk." She ordered. Zack nodded, tears streaming down his face as he tried to do what he was told. The masked face turned back to Travis, "If I don't have that disk in my hand in five minutes…" Her threat was cut off with a pained grunt as she was tackled to the floor from behind. Zack's mom straddled the woman's back and pulled a shard of something white covered in blood from the ninja's shoulder.

Diane looked up sharply even as she grabbed the hand the ninja held her blade with and fought to hold it down. "Boys, run, now! Go straight to Aunt Grace's and call the police!" She ordered. Zack stood frozen in shock as Travis eyed the ninja Diane fought to keep down. "NOW!" Diane barked. Travis nodded feebly and grabbed Zack's pajama sleeve before running past the two struggling women on the floor.

They ran out into the hall and barely caught sight of the larger ninja lying in the kitchen before dashing to the front door. Travis pulled open the front door of the apartment and the boys screamed when they saw the ninja on the other side. Both of them threw their weight against the door to close it before the ninja could get to it and then quickly slammed the dead bolt into place.

"How do we get out?" Travis demanded of Zack.

For a moment the larger boy looked around, trying to think. "Mom's room!" He shouted. He led the way to the apartment's master bedroom and slammed the bedroom door behind Travis. He had to jump a little but he managed to slide the small lock his mom had installed on the door for privacy purposes into place.

Travis ran to the window and looked out. "This isn't the fire escape!" he squeaked.

"I know, come on!" Zack pushed the window open as far as it would go and climbed out the window feet first. "I do this all the time." He encouraged before sliding out of sight.

"Zack!" Travis squeaked before sticking his head out the window.

Zack hung outside the window suspended from a clothesline stretched between this building and the fire escape on the next building. Travis gaped at him as he moved hand-over-hand further out into the gap between his building and the next. "Hurry!" Zack urged.

"But…" Travis looked down at the ground three stories down, "No way!"

Further in the apartment Travis heard a shout, followed shortly after by splintering wood and more shouting. "Come _on_! Zack repeated. He was nearly on the other side by now and could soon crawl onto the fire escape. The voices were right outside the bedroom door now.

"No way." Travis repeated, but he reached out and grabbed the clothesline.

He climbed out of the window as quickly as possible and as soon as Zack saw he had a firm grip he started moving the clothesline to pull Travis over as fast as possible. By the time both boys had reached the fire escape the bedroom door had been kicked in and the ninja were trying to find a way through the small window.

* * *

"Sam I know you're getting tired of spending most of your time resting, but I'm going to have to put you on bed rest for at least a week." Donnie continued to monotone his "Doctor Don's' orders. "I'm also going to have to insist you avoid showers and take only sponge baths until your shell starts to heal up. At the very least I want you to make sure that you-"

"STOP!" April shouted. Almost immediately everyone was bracing themselves as the battle shell skidded to a halt. Sam and Leo looked out the front window just in time to see a bare foot disappear from the headlights as somebody ran across the street.

"What are kids doing out in the middle of the road?" Donnie asked. In all the time he'd been driving he couldn't remember seeing a single kid on the streets, but driving at night tended to cause that.

"Foot Ninja." Leo announced as several shadows seemed to flash across the windshield, "They might be after the kids." Donnie and Leo both hurried out of the battle shell. Leo pause only long enough to tell April, "Keep the doors locked and your katana ready." Then he turned to Sam and ordered, "Stay there!" After that he was gone.

Samantha glanced around the battle shell as April lifted her katana and withdrew it from its sheath.

Foot ninja.

Sam couldn't help but shiver slightly. She then fought the impulse to cringe as fire shot down her back from where the tracking device had been. "Hey, you okay?" April asked. Her concerned expression and tone made the sword in her hands seem a little out of place. In reply to her question Samantha nodded, she hurt like all get-out but pain she could deal with.

The idea of being so close to the foot ninja again was another matter. She never wanted to see another one of those for as long as she lived. Now they could be right outside the battle shell, and they were after _kids_! Thankfully this was the wrong side of town from the Gelding's apartment.

Another shiver ran down Sam's back, acting like gasoline for the fiery pain.

* * *

Please review.


	12. Rescue

* * *

I do not own the TMNT.

* * *

Chapter twelve; Rescue

* * *

Travis slid to a stop, yelping childishly when he felt something cut into his feet. In front of him Zack grabbed the door to the apartment building across the street from where they had come from and pulled. It didn't open. "It's locked!" He half shouted, half whined.

Before Travis could respond he felt his pajamas being seized from behind and gave a shout of terror. A dull thud sounded and the grip released Travis's clothes. He ran to the door beside Zack and turned to see some kind of ninja goblin beating the ninja in black senseless with a stick. Another goblin ran into the alley shouting to get the attention of the other black ninjas. He reached behind him and pulled out two swords before joining the fight.

In the movies ninja fights were always way cool, and the bad guys went down right away, but now it was just scary. There was blood, and the stick made a sickening sound when it hit the ninja guys and the ninja guys would _not_ stay _down!_ The goblins, which Travis wasn't even sure if they were the good guys yet, seemed to be kicking butt easy enough, but there had to be a dozen of the black ninjas. With a faint whimper, Travis started to edge further from the fight. He wanted to wake up. There was a feeling to this situation that felt fake, or just far too real.

One of the goblins started fighting all the black ninjas alone. The one with the stick hurried over to where Travis and Zack were. When he was close enough he leaned down to their level, not as much of a distance as it was for human adults, and spoke rapidly, "Listen you two, I need you to come with me. We'll keep you safe and take you to the police, okay?"

Zack made a strange noise in his throat and backed up as far as he could against the door. The goblin sighed and turned to Travis. "I understand that my brother and I look a little strange, but we mean you no harm!"

Travis lifted his hand and bit his palm nervously, earning a strange look from the goblin. After a moment of seemingly deep thought he nodded and held the bitten hand out to Zack, "He's cool! Let's go!" When Zack didn't comply Travis hurried over and grabbed his friend's pajamas, then pulled him over to the goblin. "What now?" He asked.

The goblin quickly put his stick behind him, "Just hold on and close your eyes." He advised.

"Wha?" Travis barely had time to ask before he found himself being lifted onto the goblin's back…er, shell.

"Hold on tight!" The goblin ordered again. Travis nodded and crossed his arms in front of the goblin's neck. He grabbed his wrists like his dad had taught him to and put his head down before 

squeezing his eyes shut tight. Zack made another scared sound before Travis felt the goblin lift something and start moving.

"Leo! I've got the kids!" The goblin shouted.

"Get them to the battle shell! I'll cover you!" The other goblin shouted. Travis swallowed and risked a peak in the direction the goblin was headed. They weren't going _through_ all those ninja were they? But the goblin's stick thing was stuck between Travis and the goblin's shell, and his arms were probably carrying Zack!

Travis squeezed his eyes shut again, buried his face and held on tight. He had to trust his gut that these guys would help!

* * *

Sam shifted in her seat. She watched April as the older woman tightened and relaxed her grip on the katana. April kept her eyes on what she could see through the front and rear windows. After the guys had been gone for only a couple of minutes April hurried to the back door. She got there just as a loud thumping signaled that somebody wanted in. After a quick glance through the window April pushed open the door.

"Take the kids!" Leo shouted. Sam stood up, ignoring the pain in her back as she and April quickly reached out and pulled in first a large-ish blond boy, then a smaller boy with brown hair. No sooner had the second boy been pulled inside than the door was slammed shut again with the turtles still outside.

The blond boy crawled further inside the truck and looked around nervously, his breathing was coming hard and fast, squeaking a little and making him sound like a small animal. The dark haired boy sat there for a moment, his face down as he caught his breath, then he looked up with a cautious expression.

Sam's stomach lurched and her heart stopped.

_No!_

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Thanks for the help caylender!

Please leave a review!


	13. Mockery of a Reunion

I do not own the TMNT or related themes and characters.

Sam, Travis, Zack and 'Pat' are mine.

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Chapter thirteen; Mockery of a Reunion.

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_Samantha! Calm down! You are scaring your brother._

_But, how do I not scare him?_

_You have to be gentle honey, talk quietly and move slowly, don't jerk. Like this…_

Slowly Sam pulled herself out of her shock to stop staring and actually look. Travis was sitting on the floor of the truck in his pajamas, he looked cold and there was blood on the floor near his bare feet. Blood, that gave her something to do, something to focus on. After swallowing the rest of her hesitation Sam turned and opened the compartment Donnie had said the first-aid supplies were kept. She pulled out a couple of blankets and grabbed the first-aid kit before gently crouching next to Travis and handing him one of the blankets.

"Hello." She managed softly, a friendly smile on her face.

"Hi." Travis replied. He looked up at her curiously. There was no recognition in his eyes, but at least there wasn't any overt fear. It occured to Sam that though he was looking at her face Sam didn't really know what he saw, she swore to look in the first mirror she came to as soon as this was over.

Sam helped him to wrap up in the blanket and took the other one to April, who was talking quietly with the blond. After making sure Travis was wrapped up warmly Sam pointed to his foot, "Could I look at that for you?" She offered.

Travis nodded, "I think I cut my foot." He said, stating the obvious.

A small, sad smile played at the corners of Sam's mouth. "I think you're right." She agreed. "Come on, up into the chair." Sam helped him into one of the seats, automatically adjusting the blanket around him as she did so.

Once he was settled in Sam knelt down beside him and looked at his foot. It was filthy, covered in dirt, gravel and blood. Out of the first-aid kit Sam pulled a soft cloth and a bottle of clean water. "Let me know right away if this hurts, okay?" Travis nodded and bit his lip, a sure sign that he had no intention of looking like a wimp and planned to keep quiet. Sam carefully wetted the cloth and started dabbing at the filth. After a few moments of awkwardness she asked, "So…um…do you have a name?" It wouldn't do well to slip up later and freak him out.

"Of course I do, it's Travis." He answered. "What's yours?"

"It's S-" Sam paused, her eyes widened as she kept working on getting the dirt off. She couldn't tell him her real name; there was no telling what he would think. "My name's Pat." She covered. With her head down she completely missed the strange look April shot her way.

"Really? That's my mom's name!" Although Sam couldn't see it she could hear the smile.

"Wow, that's cool," _mine too_.

Finally Sam cleared off as much of the dirt as she could and looked more closely at the bottom of his foot. There was a deep cut on his heel that was still bleeding, but she couldn't tell if it needed stitches or not. She figured it could wait for now and looked in the kit for something to bandage his foot with.

She suddenly got an idea, "So your mom's name is Pat too?"

"Uh-huh."

"And how's she doing?" Sam asked the question casually enough, but her ears were perked for every word. She continued to keep her head down to cover any anticipation in her expression.

"She's fine…I guess." Travis replied half heartedly.

"You guess?" Sam frowned, Travis wasn't the evasive sort.

"I dunno, she's been all…all GRRR!" On the other side of the truck April looked up and chuckled. The blond boy smiled a little too.

"What do you mean Grrr?" Sam wasn't amused, what did Travis mean?

"She keeps forgetting stuff, and she won't let me do _anything_ without having some huge fight about it with Dad first."

"A fight?" That didn't sound good.

"Yeah," Travis sounded like he was trying to shrug it off, "They yell until one of them gets tired of yelling. Dad usually wins 'cause he does a lot of yelling at work."

_That_ certainly wasn't normal. Sam bit her lip as she tried to keep her attention on what her hands were doing, but her mind was running laps. Her parents never fought. Never! In fact, they were still 'sneaking' out on dates not one week before Sam was…oh.

"I think it's mostly because they miss my sister." Travis mumbled.

Samantha flinched as though she had been physically struck. A depressing, heavy burden seemed to be settling on her shoulders, making her even more tired and exhausted than she had been before, but she hid it. After that Sam worked quietly to finish bandaging his foot and clean the other one. Once she had finished with the second bandage Sam took a breath and pasted on a light smile before looking up. "There, all done. Next time you're running from evil ninja you should tell them to let you put some shoes on first."

Travis smiled and pulled the blanket closer, "I'll make sure to tell them Mom wants me to wear a sweater too."

Sam smirked and held up a warning finger, "You'd better make sure they're wearing sweaters too." Her little brother nodded solemnly before covering his mouth with the blanket as he tried to cover a giggle.

His brown eyes danced merrily and his nose scrunched up just like Sam remembered. On his cheeks and between the little wrinkles on his nose Sam could just make out the faintest of freckles from their summer trip to the beach, much paler than the last time she had seen them. Several strands of brown hair fell into his eyes whereas before Sam had been kidnapped it was still neatly trimmed. Her arms itched to pull him into a hug and ruffle that overgrown mop on top of his head. Instead Sam distracted herself by repacking the first-aid kit. She blinked rapidly against the prickling in her eyelids.

As his giggles settle down Travis turned over to where April and the other boy were still talking in hushed tones. "Hey Zack! Are you okay over there?"

Zack? Sam knew no Zack, who was this kid?

The blond boy looked up. There was still fear in his eyes but he looked much calmer now. "I-I think so." Zack's voice still shook slightly. Sam felt the warmth of pride for her brother handling the chaos tonight so well.

Just then the passenger side door opened and Leo climbed inside. Donnie soon opened his door and climbed into the driver's seat. They both kept their faces neutral as they closed the doors and Donnie drove the truck into an alley nearby. After turning off the engine they again opened their doors. Leo paused and looked into the back of the car. "We need to talk to you girls, are the boys okay for now?"

Travis smiled nervously and held up his hand in thumbs up. Sam and April nodded. There was something about the turtles' actions that made icy cold adrenalin start rushing through Sam's blood and the boys seemed to sense it too. April and Sam climbed out of the back of the battle shell to see what the turtles wanted. Before the door shut Sam caught a glance of Travis and Zack exchanging worried looks.

Once all four of them had gathered outside the battle shell Donnie and Leo looked hesitant to explain why they had called the girls out. "What is it Leo?" April prompted.

Leo looked up, his eyes were shadowed behind the blue material of his mask, but they still seemed to carry a heavier weight to them. "We found the apartment the boys were running from." He said. "There, it…We found a body. She was probably one or both of the boys' mother."

April held a hand up to her mouth, her green eyes sad. Sam glanced nervously at the battle shell with her brother still in it. It couldn't be, this was the wrong side of town, but Travis shouldn't have been here either. "I need to see her." Sam whispered.

"Sam, I don't think…" Donnie began, but Sam looked him dead in the eye and he grew silent.

"I have to see her." She repeated. Her tone was steadfast; it almost held an air of authority. Samantha had a goal and it _would_ be met.

Leo stepped closer to Sam and put a hand on her shoulder. She turned to look at him. After a moment he nodded. "I'll take you up." He turned to April and Donnie, "Get as much information out of the boys as you can. If you find out anything important let me know."

April and Donnie nodded. They moved around to the back of the battle shell. Donnie jumped in and turned to help April, then grabbed the utility ax off the floor and handed it out to Sam. "Don't come back with something else I have to bandage." He lightly jested.

Sam glanced down at her still bandaged foot, leg and arm before looking up and managing a small smile, "Spoil sport." She stepped back as the door of the battle shell closed, her eyes again drawn to Travis. He was still wrapped up in the blanket, but he looked a little confused and worried about the recent turn of events. Once the door was closed Sam turned back to Leo, "Lead the way."

He frowned at her and shook her head, "Not what I was thinking."

"Say what?" Sam blinked in confusion and found a large green finger pointed in her direction.

"You just had surgery on your shell, not to mention all the rest you've been through today, there's no way I'm going to let you climb the fire escape in that condition." Leo explained.

"Condition?" Sam balked for a moment before stepping forward, hands at her side, ready to debate, "I'll have you know, Leonardo, that I have been in worse 'condition' than the state I am in now. I can walk just fine."

"I won't allow it." Leo stood with his arms crossed. It was a pose Sam was beginning to think he was fond of. "The apartment is still not safe and if the foot ninja return you will need your strength to defend yourself."

"Do I look like I'm about to fall over to you or something?" Sam held her arms out slightly as if for inspection, "I'm not exactly –EH?!" Her holding her arms away from her sides was all Leo had been waiting for. He moved faster than she could have predicted and quickly picked her up, sweeping her feet out from under her and lifting her so that the hand with the ax was behind his shell.

"I spend enough time arguing with Raph, I don't need to have a debate with you about this." He told her rather smugly.

"Great, do you carry _him_ up fire escapes too?"

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Please review


	14. Casualty

I do not own the TMNT.

* * *

Chapter fourteen; Casualty.

* * *

By the time Sam felt the thick, plush carpeting under her sandals she was sure her lifespan was a good ten years shorter than it had been on the ground.

Yes Leo had carried her up to the right floor, but to say he used the fire escape was an extremely loose interpretation. How he had managed to get up four stories with minimal use of his hands was still a mystery to Sam, and she had been there!

"Which apartment?" Sam asked once she was sure of her footing and her nerve.

"Four twenty-seven." Leo answered.

Samantha glanced at the doors beside her and started down the hall, only to feel Leo's restraining hand on her wrist. She turned to look at him curiously. "If you think I'm going to let you carry me to the apartment you've got another thing coming." Sam told him.

His smile was just a tad smug, "I'd like to see you stop me." Sam blushed. Leo's expression then became more serious. "Sam, I trusted you had an important reason for wanting to come up here, before we go any further I need to know what that reason was."

Sam glanced down at the ax in her hand. "I…" She could see no reason to keep the truth from him. "That kid, the one with the brown hair…" Sam muttered. Leo nodded, he hadn't gotten a real good look at either of the boys but he did recall one of them had darker hair than the other. "…The thing is-" Sam looked up and met Leo's gaze, "That was Travis."

Leonardo's eyes widened as understanding dawned on him, "Your brother?" Sam nodded, confirming his statement. "That explains the Foot ninja's presence here. Come on." Leo took the lead and they hurried to the apartment. The door stood ajar and Leo drew a katana before he gently pushed it open.

"She's right down the hall, to the right." Leo explained. Sam nodded and went through the door.

She was quickly followed by Leo. He walked close to her on her left, katana held high. Although the main reason he did so was to protect in the event that any of the ninja returned, he was also purposefully blocking her vision of the kitchen. Whoever the woman was she hadn't gone down without a fight, and Leo didn't want Sam seeing any more bodies than she had to tonight.

About halfway down the hall Sam paused and took a deep breath before glancing nervously to Leo. His expression was reassuring and calming, yet it also offered a way out, a chance to turn back. Sam had never seen a body before, and the idea that her first might be her mother's didn't help the matter. After another breath she steadied herself and continued down the hall.

The first think she saw was a foot. Sam continued until she saw the full body, lying on its back in a small pool of blood. Although it wasn't her mother Sam didn't feel in the slightest relieved. She stepped into the room that the body lay in and moved over to the head. After crouching down beside the dead woman Sam carefully placed her hand over the woman's forehead.

Once again the contrast between Sam's green skin and the human skin was sickeningly dramatic, but this time it brought a different feeling to Sam's gut. The skin beneath Sam's fingers was papery white, but still held some warmth. There was a nasty gash in the woman's cheek and another one across her shoulder. Clearly the final blow had been to the woman's chest, where the most blood was beginning to dry and cake on the worn T-shirt. Tears threatened to spill as Sam slid her hand over the woman's face, carefully pulling the eyelids shut. After a moment of silence Sam quickly crossed herself and whispered a prayer for the woman.

As she stood up Sam rubbed briskly at her eyes before turning to Leo, who stood quietly in the doorway. "She was the other boy's mother. I've never seen her before." Sam said.

Leo nodded and pulled out his shell cell with his free hand. He kept one of his katana ready in his other hand, just as Sam kept the ax in hand. While Leo spoke with Donnie Sam stepped further into the room the woman had died in.

It was a boy's room, there was a sleeping bag on the floor and Travis's backpack was off to one side with some of his clothes and things scattered around it haphazardly. The rest of the room looked like it was normally neat, but the desk was a mess and the area around the television with several gaming systems was in chaos. Somebody had searched the room and it didn't take much to figure out what the search had been for. What Sam didn't know was why the Foot clan would think the disk was here. She nervously tugged at her gloves as she tried to puzzle this out.

Behind her Leo closed the connection between the shell cell. "Donnie says that the boys had the Disk earlier, but after the Foot ninja showed up they couldn't find it." He explained. "Now we at least know what the Disk looks like, Travis said it was black with some kind of silver writing on it."

"Travis." Sam muttered, but there was affection in her tone. "He's always taking stuff from my room, I should have guessed the pest might have it." Her gaze focused on the computer on the desk, "And if it was from my room…"

Leo watched as Sam moved over to the computer and checked the CD ROM. After confirming the disk in the drive wasn't the one she wanted Sam knelt down on the floor and placed the ax beside her before she reached under the desk. She felt around for a moment before pulling out a sock and a pencil. A couple more seconds of searching and Sam pulled out a small disk, no different than any other CD other than the black label with silvery writing on it.

"Don't tell me _this_ is what all the trouble is about." Sam huffed.

"How did you know that was there?" Leo asked, curiously as Sam stood up.

In reply Sam smiled as she handed him the disk. "Travis is my little brother; I'm more than aware of all of his pesky habits." There was a touch of sadness blended with a good deal of affection in her eyes.

Leo took the disk and slid it into his belt, nodding in understanding. No sooner was the disk safely out of sight than Sam's expression changed to one of fear and anger. She lifted her ax defensively and Leo turned to see a female ninja standing in the doorway.

"You must be the one they call Leonardo." The ninja guessed. She barely glanced at Sam, "I was not told of any female turtles." The ninja woman noted.

Sam seethed, anger and something very close to pure hate coursing through her body. The ninja might not recognize her, but Sam certainly recognized the ninja. It was the very same evil woman who had interrogated and poisoned her.

* * *

Reviews make me happy. Please leave the lonely college student a nice review!

I'll use Mikey to give you the puppy eyes; he's not doing anything important right now.


	15. First Blood

I do not own the TMNT

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Chapter fifteen; First blood

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When Samantha was eleven she had grown tall enough to ride the 'real roller coasters'. The very next chance she received to go to a theme park she raced straight to the largest roller coaster and stood in line for no less than two hours before she was strapped in and started up the ramp that began the ride. After she got off the ride she ran right into her father's arms and cried.

Her father wasn't here, and this was far worse than the roller coaster.

"Stay behind me." Leo advised quietly. Sam nodded slightly.

The ninja tilted her head slightly. "How sweet." She commented coldly. "Now, hand over the disk or I shall be forced to take your species significantly closer to extinction."

Sam could see the tension in Leo's shoulders, the comment must have bothered him a great deal more than it did Sam. "I have a better idea, you let us go and this night won't have to result in more dead Foot than it already has."

Once again the ninja smiled. Although the woman drew no weapon Sam felt more adrenaline start pouring into her system. She knew from painful experience that this ninja preferred to stand back and let others do the dirty work for her. "You seem to have the impression that you have the advantage." Her smile grew, "A misguided impression." The back of Sam's neck prickled as the hairs stood on end.

"You seem to think that we don't." Leo replied. Bells started going off in the back of Sam's mind.

"You don't." The woman acknowledged. Sam went with her gut and twisted the axe as she spun hard and fast.

The axe head cut deep into the side of the ninja that had crept up behind her. Metal clashed in the doorway of the bedroom but Sam was too consumed by the sight of the ninja in front of her to look. He grunted and stumbled back from Sam, pulling free of the blade with a pained sound. Out of habit Sam pulled the ax back to her but continued to watch in horror as the masked man stumbled back and clutched at his side where the black cloth was becoming shiny and wet.

"I-" Sam wasn't sure what she wanted to say. "I-" _I didn't kill him did I?_

The ninja seemed to find something to brace himself against as he reached with his free hand and drew a sword from behind his back. It was shorter than Leo's katana but that didn't earn it any 

less respect in Samantha's eyes. She stepped back and again lifted the ax as he pulled his arm back and charged. He swung from the side and Sam barely managed to block with the ax handle.

The blade dug deep into the wood. Before the ninja could pull his weapon free Sam twisted the ax, trapping the metal as she kicked at his side. The kick was low and rather weak, but it did the job of inflicting pain on the fresh wound from Sam's blade. With a strained grunt the ninja stumbled back, releasing his grip on the sword. Sam grabbed the hilt of the sword and pulled it out of the handle, effectively ruining the ax as the handle split the rest of the way and fell apart.

For lack of anything better to do Sam held up the sword and tried to look like she knew how to hold the thing.

"Sam!" Sam started to look over her shoulder but Leo suddenly appeared beside her and tugged at her arm, "Let's move." He said, pulling her toward the door of the bedroom. Sam followed him, trying to imitate how he held his katana so that she wouldn't slice herself in two with the ninja's sword.

They ran from the apartment and hurried down the hallway back to the fire escape. Before they arrived at the exit Leo sheathed his swords and sped up so that he was several yards ahead of Sam. He jumped at the window, grabbing the top frame of the exit and swung out feet first. Before Sam heard a chance to catch up she heard grunts and thuds. By the time she had arrived at the emergency exit and had climbed out after Leo the fire escape was cleared and several dark figures lay inert on the ground below.

"Let me see that." Leo held his hand out and Sam turned the sword over to him. Leo slung the sword behind his shell and before Sam could object he had again lifted her. Samantha barely had time to figure out what he was planning before he leapt nimbly onto the railing of the fire escape and jumped.

"LE-" The words died in Sam's throat as they fought for dominance against a scream. Three and a half stories down Leo landed on the battle shell with a thud before he easily hopped down to the ground.

When Leo lowered Sam to the ground her legs gave out from under her. Even with his trained reflexes he might not have caught her if she hadn't been clinging so tightly onto him. For a moment he just held her as she started to tremble. She was shivering so hard Leo could barely support her before he remembered her 'little problem' with elevators.

"Sam, I'm so sorry, I wasn't thinking." He apologized.

Sam slowly shook her head, "N-no," She stuttered, Leo cringed. "F- it w-was the f-f-fastest way down." Sam insisted.

Leo started to reply but they heard a sound overhead and looked up to see foot ninja coming out onto the fire escape. Once again Sam found herself lifted off the ground as Leo quickly carried her around the battle shell and opened the back door.

After jumping in and putting Sam down in one of the seats he pulled the door shut behind him. "Hit it Don." Leo called. Donnie nodded and soon the battle shell tore out of the alley. Leonardo moved to the front of the battle shell to bring Donnie up to speed on what had happened. Sam sat in the seat with her arms hugging her plastron, trying to stop the shivering.

Warm, heavy material came to rest on her shoulders, bothering her back but welcome all the same. Sam looked up into the smiling eyes of her little brother. "Thanks." Sam told him. Travis nodded and handed her a clean cloth. He signaled with his hand over his own face and Sam mirrored him, wiping her skin. She pulled the cloth from her face and stiffened when she saw the red streaks on the cloth. For a moment she was worried she had re-opened one of her injuries or that the bandage on her back had bled through. Slowly she realized that the blood was not her own.

Sam tasted bile as she remembered the feeling of the ax striking the man. She squeezed her eyes shut to try and block out the image before she again looked up. Travis was smiling, happy that he was able to help in some small way and obviously not aware of exactly what was on his 'new' friend's face. "Thank you." Sam repeated, forcing a small smile of her own.

The boy's eyes practically glittered with pleasure before he moved over to where April was quietly talking to the other boy, Zack. The false smile on Sam's face slipped away when the blond looked up at her, his light colored eyes so familiar to the ones Sam had closed not long ago. She almost felt relieved when he turned his eyes on Travis.

After several minutes of meandering the streets of New York to ensure that they were not being followed Donnie stopped the battle shell a block or so down from a police station. April helped the boys out of the vehicle and started to walk them to the station.

Sam stood and watched her brother walk down the sidewalk barefoot save for the bandages. She felt a hand on her shoulder through the blanket and looked over to where Donnie and Leo were standing beside her.

"You know, your brother's a great kid." Donnie told her.

Sam smiled slightly. "Yeah, he really is." She glanced over at Leo, frowning at the self abusive expression on his face.

"Sam, about that jump-" He started to apologize.

Sam quickly shook her head and held up a hand to silence him. It took a moment before he reluctantly let his mouth close. "Leo, don't apologize. Just…thank you for trusting me."

Leo nodded, clearly not happy to let the matter go.

* * *

"Reiko! I had expected more! How dare you return to me empty handed!" Oroku Saki yelled, his fury was genuine, but more heated due to his inability to go and attend to the matter personally, it he didn't have to placate these mewling humans…

"Master Shredder, please, I may return to you with empty hands, but I bring news of a most interesting variety." Reiko pleaded.

Karai's frown was almost invisible against her stoic expression, what could Reiko possibly have learned? Saki was interested. "Tell me, what could possibly be so important that you would return to me without the Disk?"

The kunoichi looked up with a coy smile, a sure sign of her confidence. "Three turtle creatures were at the apartment in which the signal was located. The blue banded one, the purple banded one, and a female." Her smile grew.

"Are you certain?" The ninja master's eyes would have glittered with interest if they had been his own. "A female turtle?"

"Quite certain Master. The turtle was smaller than the blue masked one but not in a way that seemed younger. Furthermore, the creature had hair and did not appear to be trained to fight in any style, much less ninjitsu." Reiko reported.

"Interesting. Most interesting." Saki mused. Karai kept her expression blank, tapping into years of practice to not reveal a trace of her true emotions.

A female turtle, with hair? There could be only one answer; it had to be the experiment that had escaped Stockman's lab more than a fortnight past. Even now Karai could feel the band that hug around her neck, keeping the memory device containing the information on Stockman's experiment. Now that she knew how to find the experiment, what to do?"

* * *

HA! I bet y'all forgot about Karai's part in all this, didn'cha?

Okay, for anyone who wants to know how Leo could place that third sword behind his shell with his other two swords sheathed...the same way he packs a bunch of ancient swords behind his shell in the 2007 movie.

Please leave a review!


	16. Fade Out

I do not own the TMNT.

* * *

Chapter sixteen: Fade Out

* * *

As the elevator descended Leo put a comforting arm around Sam's shoulders but all she could do to react or respond was to lean slightly towards his side.

The lair was still a mess, but the main door was closed and from the looks of things Master Splinter had done his best to camouflage the outside with some spare parts. He welcomed them back to the lair with a tray filled with mugs of tea which gave off an aroma that in itself helped to sooth Sam's nerves a little. As she and the others accepted the tea Leo explained to his father all that had happened since they had last seen each other. As he explained the events of the veterinary clinic Sam shifted uncomfortably, not so much due to the memory of what happened or the persistent fire across her shoulders as from the gaze with which the old rat fixed on her. She became absolutely absorbed in the vision of steam rising from her tea when Leo explained about Travis and why Sam had insisted on going to the apartment.

"…and after leaving the boys with the police, April returned to the battle shell. That was when we all returned here sensei." Leo finished.

"All save for your brothers." Master Splinter stated mildly.

Leo, Don, April and Sam all snapped to attention. "Raph and Mike!" April gasped, remembering those that had been completely forgotten till now.

Sam glanced at the two turtle boys presently accounted for, "A-and where are they exactly?" She asked.

"I left them in charge of waiting for the mousers to come through the rubble!" Leo explained as he hastily snatched out his shell cell and started dialing.

"After I disabled the tracking device the mousers would have returned to Stockman's lab, leaving Raph and Mike waiting for nothing!" Donnie added.

April seemed to be considering something. "Raph's stuck in a tunnel with a bored Mike?" She asked.

Donnie and Leo exchanged a look of dread before they crowded in front of the phone. "Come on Mikey, pick up." Leo encouraged.

Despite how tired she felt, Sam felt herself smiling as she watched the turtles nearly pale when Raph answered, "_Wad'ya want_?"

"Raph, where's Mike?" Leo asked quickly.

Raphael sounded annoyed, "_Well if ya wanted to talk to the pest ya shoulda' called his cell. Hang on._"

"_Leo!_" Mikey could be heard a moment later. Both Donnie and Leo seemed to relax.

Sam continued to smile some as she smelled her tea, enjoying the spectacle as Leo told his brothers they could come home. She used to wonder what it would have been like to come from a large, close knit family. Now that she had finally learned to truly appreciate her own small nuclear family she had the opportunity to watch a large family in action up close and personal. As for 'close knit'; she'd never seen siblings as close as these four…although, Sam couldn't recall ever having literally forgotten about Travis.

As Leo returned the shell cell to his belt and Donnie sighed in relief Sam noticed April had one hand clamped tightly over her mouth and the mug in her hand was shaking. Master Splinter stood calmly, looking amused as his two sons turned back to him sheepishly. "They're on their way back now Master Splinter." Leo reported.

Master Spinter nodded. The fur by his eyes wrinkled slightly and Sam could almost imagine small wrinkles crinkling up in amusement. The expression softened to something else when he looked over to Sam. "I believe that Samantha has had more than enough excitement today." He said meaningfully. Almost as if on command three mugs of tea were replaced on the tray Master Splinter still carried and Sam found herself facing two turtles and a human woman.

"Master Splinter's right Sam, you need to get some rest." April told her. "You've been through a lot today."

"And what have you been doing today? Knitting?" Sam scoffed as she was more or less herded towards her room. For some reason the idea of being shuffled off to bed bothered Sam. Sure she was tired and had been going full steam for nearly twenty-four hours, but why was she always the one being told it was bedtime?

"She didn't have her shell cut open." Donnie added.

"I should hope not," Sam noted with some amusement, "She hasn't got a shell to cut open."

"Sam." Leo finally cut in. Sam looked over at him, chaffing at the dominant expression on his face and ready to fall back into debate mode. "Fire escape." He warned.

It was amazing how quickly Sam returned to her room after that.

* * *

"Travis Gelding?"

Travis looked up at the officer in front of him. "Yes?" He asked meekly.

"Your parents are here for you." The officer stepped aside and once his uniform was out of the way Sam could see his mother and father standing on the other side of the room.

He dropped the Styrofoam cup of hot chocolate and ran across the room. The blanket slid from his shoulders just as he threw himself into his mother's waiting arms. "Mommy!" Travis exclaimed, and then he broke.

When the computer had acted all weird Travis had suggested they wait till morning and talk to a grown-up about it. When the evil ninja lady had grabbed Zack he had done his best to stay strong. When they had escaped from Zack's bedroom Travis had mostly led the way and when the goblins had saved them Travis had chosen to trust them. He had smiled, talked to that nice girl goblin, encouraged Zack and even given the girl goblin a clean cloth when she had come back covered with ketchup or whatever. Travis had been the one to tell the police what had happened, and he had been the one to leave out the fact that the people who had helped them were not exactly normal.

But now Mommy and Daddy were here. Travis could stop being a big boy. He could cry, he could cuddle, they would take him home and everything would be alright.

* * *

Zack watched as Travis hugged first Mrs. Gelding, then Mr. Gelding. Travis cried even though everything was over now, but Zack couldn't exactly blame him, he still wanted to cry too.

As Zack watched Travis cling to his mother one of the police officers spoke with Mr. Gelding. Zack couldn't help but look behind them at the door that the Geldings had come through.

He didn't notice a lady officer come in and speak with the officer behind the desk. Neither did Zack see the sad looks cast his way nor did he realize as the officer picked up the phone and dialed the all too familiar number for Child Services.

He just continued to watch the Geldings' happy reunion and glance at the door through which Travis's parents had come.

The door opened again and Zack sat up, but he slouched again when yet another police officer walked in. He didn't really care that this cop had a lady with too much makeup and not enough skirt handcuffed to the officer's wrist. Zack just continued to watch the door, occasionally glancing back at Travis and his parents before returning his gaze to that heavy door.

Any minute now.

* * *

Please leave a review.


	17. Advise

I do not own the TMNT

* * *

Chapter seventeen; Advice

* * *

_I…_

_Can't…_

_Breathe!_

Sam's eyes shot open as she pushed herself to her knees, gasping for air.

Slowly her breathing returned to its normal rate, but it took a few minutes for Sam to place the cause of her initial distress. The part of her shell Donnie had operated on was painful and the damaged tissues were trying to swell. Pressure between her shell and her ribs pressed against her lungs, giving the illusion of more difficulty breathing than she was truly having. Furthermore; Sam would have sworn under oath that her back hadn't hurt this badly last night.

She scooted over to the edge of the bed and lowered her feet to the floor. Moving in any way that shifted her spine hurt but she ignored it and stood up. Sam stopped to tie on her belt and the sleeves and then quickly ran a brush through her hair, smiling at this sign of her reappearing vanity before she quietly slipped out of the room and padded softly over to the kitchen.

"You would have done well to finish your tea, Samantha."

Sam nearly jumped out of her shell; the shock her damaged back received from the jump made her wish she had. "Master Splinter! I didn't see you there!" She gasped. As her eyes adjusted to the dim lighting she could better make out the old rat sitting at the table just outside the kitchen.

"I suspected as much." There was amusement in the old rat's tone as he repeated, "You would have done well to drink your tea, Samantha."

"Oh…the tea…" It had smelled delightful, but she had barely afforded the liquid a sip before she had abandoned any attempts to enjoy it. The stuff tasted like hot pond water. Stale, hot pond water.

"Do not concern yourself; many consider tea to be an un-acquirable taste. Michelangelo never did learn to enjoy it." He stood from the table and moved to the kitchen. "This was most unfortunate as he tended to damage his shell nearly as often as Raphael." For some reason the idea that some of the many scars on the turtles' skin and shells came from childhood accidents made Samantha smile.

She watched the shadow that was Master Splinter move about the kitchen, clearly un-phased by the dim lighting. Cupboards opened, water was turned on and off, and china clinked. Sam instinctively moved back to let Master Splinter pass.

After setting several shadowy objects on the table Master Splinter struck a match and lit a couple candles on the table. The light the flames gave off was bright enough to read by, yet not enough to hurt Sam's dark accustomed eyes. In the light Sam could now see a few china bowls, some clothes and a china container of some kind. Master Splinter gestured for Sam to sit on a stool and she did as she was told.

Master Splinter stood behind her and carefully brushed her hair aside before he removed the bandages that Donnie had applied earlier. He examined the damage with a father's eye of experience before lifting the lid of the china container and dabbing a cloth into the cream inside. Sam sat quietly as he rubbed the cloth over her damaged shell. After a few minutes she felt a pleasant cooling sensation slowly combating the fire. Sam couldn't help but let loose a small breath of relief.

After several minutes Master Splinter placed the first cloth aside before picking up another cloth and dipping it into a bowl of light blue liquid. He using this cloth he began to carefully scrub Sam's shell. Surprisingly, Sam felt her breathing ease slightly as her shell came clean.

"It seems you've had quite the adventure." Master Splinter stated.

Sam nodded, "I guess you could call it that." She sighed and closed her eyes. Travis's face loomed up in front of her. If it was possible she missed him more now than before the guys had rescued Travis and his friend. Were her parents really fighting because she was gone? Were they safe now that the foot clan knew the turtles had the disk?

Then there was the woman in the apartment. Sam wasn't sure why but she had felt the urge to thank the woman for something… And the ninjas; the evil ninja woman and the ninja that Sam had…

Blood. Sam flinched as the memory of the ax striking the man replayed itself. She glanced over at the table and saw that the bowl of liquid was now a deep, deep red. Quickly Sam turned away and looked at the floor.

He would have killed her, and she hadn't killed him so there was nothing wrong…right?

Sam sighed, letting the air slip through her nostrils and tickle over her lip. There was simply too much to think about, her mind was running over the same territory but too overwhelmed to delve any deeper; where to start?

"Growing up, my sons seemed to have many, many adventures." Master Splinter spoke softly, Sam was glad for the distraction from her thoughts. "Many, many of these adventures ended in my faithful walking stick being applied to their tails." Sam nearly choked as she tried to hold back the giggles. "However, just as many of their adventures ended with wounds and tears. More often than not at all one or more of my sons would receive numerous injuries at once. Often it would be difficult to decide which injury to treat first." He put aside the soiled towel and chose some bandaging materials out of a small box. "With time I learned that the best way to care for these injuries was to face them one at a time, and not to allow myself to focus on the whole for very long."

Sam blinked and looked over her shoulder as Master Splinter finished bandaging her shell. "Why do I get the feeling you're not completely talking about the guys' childhood scrapes and cuts?"

In the candlelight Master Splinter's small smile looked wise and knowing but Sam wasn't fooled. A smirk was a smirk, even on an old rat.

* * *

Master Splinter and his wonderful mind reading powers. Today he addresses Sam's inner distress before it really has a chance to bother her! (Whoo-Hoo! He just saved me a lot of angst that I didn't really want to put up with.)

Reviews please?


	18. Can you see?

I do not own the TMNT

* * *

Chapter eighteen; Can you see?

* * *

_Day 2 of my imprisonment;_

_Although I am being treated infinitely better than at the lab I am still a prisoner. There may not be a camera monitoring my every move but I cannot escape the watchful eyes of my jailers either. Today I make a break for it, nothing much, just a test to see if I can travel undetected from my cell. If I am successful I-_

"SAM!"

Samantha groaned and slapped her palm against her forehead. _Mission failure._

"Sam, what are you doing out of bed! I told you that you should spend the day resting!" Donnie scolded.

Sam turned around, smiling meekly. "I was going to the restroom." She defended herself politely.

Donatello stood behind her with his arms crossed trying his best to look intimidating. "You should have asked for help."

"Help? Going to the restroom? Really Donnie," Sam shook her head, "I think I can handle that on my own."

Although Donnie still looked skeptical he relaxed his posture, "Just, don't push yourself okay?"

Sam smiled reassuringly, "Don't worry, I had a great surgeon." When Sam turned and continued to the restroom Sam missed the darkening of Donnie's skin as he flushed.

After closing the door behind her Sam slowly let a breath loose. She took another breath to steady herself and moved to the sink. For several moments she stared at the sink, unable to lift her eyes. Finally she gathered all her courage and looked up at the mirror for the first time in nearly four months.

"Holy Mary mother of God." Sam murmured. "That can't be me."

Her eyes stared back at her, but her skin…okay she was used to the green by now but the shape was off, way off. Her face smoothed out and there was hardly any hint of her former, human features, just a slight indent between her eyes and a hint of hairless eyebrows, ridges really. Her nose and mouth grew out into, it looked like a beak but nothing like the guys' faces at all.

"Great." Sam muttered, the soft ridges over her eyes furrowed slightly, "I don't look human, but I don't look like a mutant turtle either. She frowned and ran a finger over her lips. They were still as sensitive as they were supposed to be, but in her reflection she could hardly see them. "No wonder Travis didn't recognize me."

She closed her eyes tightly, fighting the moisture gathering there as she let her head drop. "Travis..."

* * *

Travis tapped at the buttons of his handheld. He didn't really pay attention as his figure crashed to its electronic death on the screen for the hundredth time. His mother had insisted Travis skip school today and come to the office instead. Even Mr. Gelding called on a regular basis to see if Travis was okay, entertained, fed, not being attacked by evil ninjas.

That was the hardest part, his parent's had frowned and clearly not believed him when Travis had told them about the ninjas. The entire time they had nodded their heads and pretended to accept what he was telling them, but they clearly hadn't bought it until one of the cops had hinted that the responding officers had definitely found signs of something unusual at the apartment.

Mrs. Gelding came in and looked through some files. "How you holding up Travis?" She asked cheerfully enough despite the worry she couldn't disguise.

"High score Mom!" Travis replied even more cheerfully as another one of his characters fell into a bottomless pit.

"Good for you." Mrs. Gelding smiled as she found her file and left the office again.

Travis sighed and put his handheld down. After what he had been through the thing held almost no interest for him. Instead he picked up his mother's name plate. "Patricia Gelding, Attourney at Law." He read. After a moment he placed his hand over part of the name and smiled at the first few letters. "Pat."

The girl goblin -or were they turtles?- had looked really tired after she had come back to the truck, and she'd also had an awful lot of bandages. Travis hoped she was okay. There was something familiar about her…

* * *

Across the street from the office Travis now sat in a dirty window was pushed open and a camera lens came into view.

"Reiko, we have visualization."

"Good, do not let the boy out of your sight."

* * *

Please review!

I'll get back to the Disk soon.


	19. The Necklace

I do not own the TMNT

For the record, yes I'm aware Donnie's going way over the top here, but I imagine he'd be that way after having been the one to operate on Sam.

* * *

Chapter nineteen; The Necklace

* * *

Samantha peeked out of her door.

Far down below in his lab Sam could see Donatello surrounded by a sea of computer parts and tools trying to assemble a computer with zero internet access to read the Disk with. He was concerned that the disk might have some kind of security program that would activate and somehow contact the original owners through the internet if the computer he used even had the technology to access cyberspace. It had been rather entertaining earlier watching him try and find a pre-assembled computer to fit his needs…

…or at least; that's what Mikey had told her when he brought her meals and visited. With the exception of the occasional bathroom break Sam had been trapped in her bedroom for almost three days now. Admittedly she had nothing serious to complain about, but now that she was recovering more physically, her old desire for busywork was resurfacing. Donatello had even restricted visiting hours to 'ensure' she rested. Boredom was slowly siphoning off the last of Sam's sanity and other than trying to sneak out of her room she had quite literally _nothing_ to do!

After cautiously glancing around to make sure nobody could see her Sam set a quiet foot outside her door.

"SAM! Don't make me tell you again!"

_Ninja or no; __how__ does he do that?!_

Reluctantly Sam returned to her bed and slowly sat on the mattress so as to not jar her shell. It was doing better now; the swelling had stopped and the pain had settled to a dull heat, but if the boredom didn't drive her crazy the itching would. Not only did her shell itch but the previous day Donnie had removed the stitches from Sam's leg, now her leg was itching all over again. It really wasn't fair.

Being alone had also given Samantha time to think. She had taken Master Splinter's hidden advice and focused on one thing at a time. By now she was almost convinced that injuring the ninja had been necessary, if not exactly good. All Sam's guilt over the injured ninja seemed forgotten when she pictured the ninja woman. Sam's only thoughts about _her_ all began with '_if I ever see that witch again…_" and those thoughts never ended nicely. She hadn't had much time to think about her reflection, but she was pretty sure she could handle that too.

A knock at the door made Sam look up. When she saw Leo her face lit up, "It can't be dinner time already." She stated.

Leo shook his head, the blue tails of his mask swishing in and out of sight behind him. "I convinced Don to grant you some more visiting hours."

Sam threw her hands in the air. "My prayers have been answered!" She cheered.

Her humor made Leo smile. "Yep, I even managed to smuggle in some contraband." He pulled a backpack into view. It was stuffed to the bursting and the weight was enough that even after years of ninjitsu training Leo was struggling a bit to hold it one handed.

"If that's the papers and stuff from April's shop I'll die happy!" Sam gushed. She jumped to her feet and took the bag from a confused Leo; ironically she seemed able to manage the weight more easily than he had. After unzipping the bag and peaking inside she gave a squeak of glee, "Yes! Leo you are my hero!" Sam added as she fingered through some of the papers.

Leo watched her look through the backpack for a few moments. Her chocolate brown eyes glittered brightly and there was a look on her face similar to Mikey on Christmas. For a moment he could finally see that girl in the yearbook standing in front of him; although there were some differences outwardly, inside she was still the same confident, pretty and smiling girl in the photo.

Speaking of photos…

"Right, um…" Leo reached into his belt, "I actually picked this up when we were searching your room…I didn't really get a chance to give it to you before now." He pulled out the thick chained locket and looked up startled when he heard the backpack thud to the floor.

Sam was staring at the necklace in what had to be shock. "You picked that up?" She asked quietly.

Leo coughed slightly as he handed it to her. "Um, it was right on your dresser so I figured it was pretty important."

The silver locket rested in Sam's palm with the chain trailing between her thumb as she delicately ran a finger of her other hand over the design on the lid. Both the chain and the locket were made of pure silver polished to a shine. The locket was about an inch and a half wide, square with an abstract design on the lid. The chain was thick enough to keep the locket from being turned when worn. Alone the silver was lovely but against Sam's dark skin it glittered and shone more like a gem than metal.

"My grandmother gave it to me shortly before Travis was born." Samantha explained. "She said being the oldest child was a great responsibility, but that responsibility was more valuable than the greatest of treasures." Sam's fingers closed over the locket. "She also told me that she believed I could handle both."

"Your grandmother was a wise woman."

Samantha frowned, "Yes, she was." She bit her lip thoughtfully.

_She keeps forgetting stuff, and she won't let me do __anything__ without having some huge fight about it with Dad first_… _Yeah… They yell until one of them gets tired of yelling…_

_I think it's mostly because they miss my sister._

Water splattered onto Sam's closed fist. Soon after that Leo reach over cupped Sam's hands in his own. Sam watched as his three large fingers gently opened her five smaller ones. He took the necklace and struggled with the delicate clasp before stepping behind her and hanging the necklace around her neck.

"Sam," Leo said as he worked the clasp, "We will protect your family; especially Travis. I promise."

Sam touched the locket where it now hung just over her heart. Somehow she felt the weight of the necklace was similar to the weight of Leo's promise, but nowhere near as valuable. Fresh tears pricked at Sam's eyelids as she turned and wrapped her arms around Leonardo. "Thank you." After a moment Leo returned the hug.


	20. Back to school

I do not own the TMNT

* * *

Chapter twenty; Back to school.

* * *

The foot ninja looked quite normal, dressed in civilian clothes and quietly filling out a bogus registration form for his 'child'. The secretary eyed him suspiciously as he took well over an hour to fill out the paperwork but when he explained that is English wasn't so good she accepted it.

Unknown to the secretary, the man's seat as he filled out the papers gave him a perfect view of a certain brown haired boy in his classroom. It had been four days since the Disk had been lost to the turtles, the boy's mother was finally allowing him to return to his school. Although the foot clan was well aware that the boy no longer held the disk in his possession Reiko believed that he could prove valuable and had increased the watch of the entire family.

In his classroom the boy raised his hand and asked a question. After the teacher answered the boy hurried to the door and grabbed a small plastic key before he left the room and hurried down the hall to the restroom.

The ninja waited.

* * *

Travis ran into the bathroom and made a bee-line for one of the stalls.

Before he could reach it a gloved hand clamped over his mouth and he was dragged into the handicapped stall. Once the door to the stall was closed and locked by the black clad figure Travis was shoved up against the wall, the hand still clasped tightly over his mouth.

When Travis saw the masked individual in front of him he started to fight, hitting the person's arm and jerking his head around. He screamed in his throat, the sound was muffled but still loud.

The figure pulled a knife and held it up for him to see. "Silence! Be still and I will not harm you!" Travis instantly stilled, although he still whimpered slightly. This ninja was a woman, just like the last one. "Good boy, now listen carefully; I am going to give you something. You must never part from it, you must never use it. Keep it with you at all times. If you see any of the turtles again you will give it to them, understand?" The pressure on Travis's mouth decreased so he was able to nod.

"Good, now remember, this is very important, it…" The ninja paused as she tried to come up with something the boy would understand, "It contains secret information that the turtles must learn. Do you understand?" Again Travis nodded. "Very good. Now keep quiet." The ninja removed her hand.

Travis opened his mouth to shout for help, but thought better of it when the ninja shook the knife meaningfully. He was forced to stand quietly as the ninja woman reached under her mask and pulled out a necklace thing.

"This contains important information that the turtles _must_ get." The ninja emphasized as she handed it to Travis. Travis accepted it and quickly slipped the cord around his neck. "Put it under your shirt, nobody must see it!" Travis obeyed. Finally the new ninja woman replaced the knife in her belt before backing up and unlocking the stall door.

"Remember this is very important, your sister's life may be at stake." The ninja warned before leaving rapidly.

Travis blanched, "My sister? Sam! Do you know where she is? _Wait_!" He hurried after the ninja but though he had only lost sight of her for a moment as soon as he raced out of the stall she was gone. "Wait! Where's Sam?" Travis looked around the bathroom again, racing to the different stalls and trying to find where the woman had hidden. He even ran into the hallway and looked both ways without seeing her.

Somebody snickered and Travis turned to see a girl coming out of the girl's bathroom and giggling at him. She pointed and Travis looked down.

He'd wet himself.

Somehow though, he wasn't that embarrassed. The ninja woman knew where Sam was…didn't she?

* * *

The foot ninja idly glanced over the registration form before the boy burst out of the restroom with wet pants and quickly looked around. After being laughed at by a young girl, the boy stood quietly for a moment before walking down the hall to the office. He quietly asked to use the phone and the secretary sympathetically offered to let him get some dry pants from the lost and found.

While the boy changed pants and called his mother the ninja kept his head down and waited. In less than fifteen minutes the boy's concerned mother arrived to take him home. While the mother retrieved the boy's things and informed the boy's teacher of her plans to take him home the ninja informed the secretary that he would need to take the papers home for his 'wife' to translate.

The boy and his mother left the building, the mother thanking the ninja as he politely held the door open for them.


	21. Weighted Scales

I do not own the TMNT

* * *

Chapter twenty-one; Weighted Scales of Decision.

* * *

Travis hurried to his room and closed the door behind him.

Quickly he turned the light on and pulled at the cord around his neck. Hung from the cord was a black rectangular, plastic object with an indention on one side. After looking it over for a minute Travis pressed his thumb to the indention and fooled around with it until a small metal piece came out one side. Surprised, Travis played with the device until he figured out the indention was actually a switch. He inspected the metal bit for a moment but couldn't quite figure out what it was for. Eventually Travis decided it had to be for computers or something similar.

_Like the CD_.

That thought made Travis jerk the cord off his neck and start to throw it in the trash, but he stilled.

…_Your sister's life may be at stake._

Slowly Travis lowered his arm to his side. He moved it in front of him and opened his fingers, staring at the thing. It could be something bad, something that could put the goblins…_turtles_ in danger…but if Sam needed his help…

Travis closed his hand and his eyes, trying to picture Sam's face. All he could see was the gob- turtle girl's face smiling at him. The thing in his hand could hurt Pat and her friends…

…But Sam…

With a violent shake of his head Travis ran from his room to Sam's. He pulled the door open and quickly stepped inside, but closed the door quietly so his mom wouldn't know he was in here again.

The room was the same as it had always been. Neat, clean with just a few things shoved under the bed so nobody could find them. Travis hurried to the bed and crawled under it. He found the ratty old Alf doll and hugged it close, burying his face in its soft cloth body. Although he breathed in deeply he couldn't smell anything but dust and the cold feeling of an unloved toy.

That wasn't right; Sam had slept with this thing every night. She used to give it to Travis when he came to her with nightmares but it always carried the faintest bit of her scent with it. It was supposed to smell like Sam.

But it didn't. After nearly four months of neglect the toy had lost the scent, just as Travis was having more trouble remembering what Sam looked like without a picture.

…_Your sister's life may be at stake._

_...We'll keep you safe and take you to the police, okay?_

Travis buried his face further into the doll as he started to cry.

* * *

Donatello turned and gave his brother a disapproving look. "Mikey, this computer was assembled purely for the purpose of reading whatever is on the Disk, nothing more."

A moment passed where Michelangelo just sort of stared at him before his usual grin came back, "So can I play Kraver's Dramond on it when you're done?" He repeated.

Donnie groaned and covered his eyes, "We'll see." He answered vaguely.

"Radical!" Mikey cheered.

"Hope springs eternal." Sam noted with amusement. Donnie wheeled around in his chair before jumping to his feet.

"Sam you are _supposed_ to be-"

Samantha interrupted, "-in my room resting and recovering." She finished. "Donnie if I didn't get out of there you'd have a mental case on your hands." Before Donnie could object she walked into the lab and looked more closely at the computer. "So how long till it's up and running?"

Donnie followed her, frowning at the skepticism in her voice. "Actually, I was about to start it up before Mikey started pestering me about his video games." Sam stepped back to let him through and Donnie passed her to sit in the chair in front of the desk. With a warning glance at Mikey to make sure he didn't get too close Donnie reached over and pressed the power button on the computer tower.

The button lit up and the computer fan whirred. After a few seconds the monitor lit up and the screen displayed a basic command code. Donnie glanced over his shoulder in time to see Sam blink in surprise before regaining a more neutral expression. Feeling slightly better, Donnie lifted the CD case he had stored the Disk in and opened it. As he transferred the memory device to the disk drive on the tower Sam watched it with a solemn expression. This was the thing that had taken her from her family, nearly gotten her killed several times and put her through all…all _that_. Even now, hidden in the lair its existence posed a threat to her family and now she was about to discover its secrets.

And maybe a way to protect her family.

The disk drive whirred and the computer read the disk for a few moments before numbers, letters and names began rapidly scrolling across the screen faster than the eye could follow. "Wow." Mikey noted, "It's like one of those movies with the spies. This is right when the smart guy says 'Aha! We now know Dr. Evil-dude's plans for world domination!' Come on Donnie; say it! You know you want to."

"It's encrypted." Donnie announced. He pressed a key and a box came up asking for a password. "This is going to take some time to figure out how to decode."

Sam closed her eyes and let a breath slowly slip loose from her nostrils. "You can decode it though, right?" She asked.

"Definitely, but I'm not sure how long it'll take." Don crossed his arms over his plastron and stared contemplatively at the screen. "I should probably transcribe the information onto another disk to experiment on separately to determine what kinds of firewalls are in place. After that I…" He paused and turned in his chair towards Sam. "Okay, we put the disk in; it'll take some time before anything useful turns up." He uncrossed his arms and pointed meaningfully in the direction of Sam's bedroom. "Now, what do you need to do?" Donnie asked encouragingly.

Groaning, Sam nodded, "Right, rest, relaxation and retirement into absolute boredom!" She shot a light glare at the turtle, "You know, there are laws in this country about cruel punishments."

"Sam." Donnie warned meaningfully, "Don't make me get Leo."

"Fine! I'm going!" Sam threw her arms up in the air, the sleeves tied to her arms made the movement more dramatic. As she left Donnie could swear he heard Sam muttering something about keeping a spoon from dinner and digging her way to freedom.

He casually eyed the bandaging on her shell before she left. Last he'd checked her shell was healing surprisingly well, despite his worries of shell softening or necrosis of the area around where the tracking device had been removed. Despite how nicely her shell was coming along the lacerations on her arm and leg seemed to be scarring over more than normal for a human _or_ a turtle. At first he'd thought the cuts on her leg were scarring badly due to the signs of infection she'd been showing when Master Splinter had first found her, but her arm was healing the same way.

Don wasn't sure how much he could treat her as a human, nor how much he should treat her as turtle and due to her origins the standards set by Donatello and his brothers were almost completely irrelevant.

Honestly Donnie felt like he was walking on a scalpel's edge with Sam's medical health. And sooner or later he was sure that he'd overbalance and Sam would be the one in trouble.

* * *

Please review.


	22. Time and Secrets

I do not own the TMNT or the foot clan.

* * *

Chapter twenty-two; Time and secrets.

* * *

Reiko walked into the apartment building, mentally noting the locations of the security cameras as she knocked on the door of the main office. The door opened to reveal a middle to…later aged woman who smiled guardedly at Reiko. "May I help you?" The woman asked, a slight lilt to her voice.

All smiles, Reiko reached into her purse and pulled out a wallet. "Yes my children found this wallet in an alley near our home and I was hoping to return it."

The woman looked suspiciously at the plain, slender black wallet. "And just who were you planning on returning this here wallet to?" She demanded.

"There was a card that identified the owner as a Samantha Gelding. I attempted to return the wallet to her school, but the secretary insisted I would have better luck if I came here."

Like magic the woman's eyes warmed and her face lit up, "Oh my goodness! I'm Mrs. McFarthing and the good secretary was absolutely right! I'll take you right up to the girl's apartment." Reiko stepped back as the woman hurried from her apartment and headed for the stairs. "The parents will be pleased as anything to see you! I don't know if you've heard, but the poor thing has been missing nie four months now. Her family has been worried sick!" The old woman chattered excitedly as she led Reiko up the stairs.

Reiko only half listened. The wallet contained only a few identification cards, a couple phone numbers that were empty leads, a photo of the Gelding family and a small amount of cash. Essentially it was useless, that was what the first leaders of this mission had thought, Reiko knew better. Never send an imbecile to do a kunoichi's job.

They soon arrived at the apartment in question and the McFarthing woman knocked briskly on the door. "They'll just be pleased as punch to hear that you've found the poor dear's wallet!" An idea occurred to her and a look of fear crossed her face. "Unless it reopens still healing wounds. Oh Dollie you may have just made things worse."

Before the woman could fret any more the door opened and Mrs. Gelding answered. "Mrs. McFarthing! Hello." She nodded cordially at the woman standing beside the building owner. The woman smiled slightly and nodded as well.

"Mrs. Gelding, this woman has something to show you, something very important." Mrs. McFarthing suddenly flushed and chuckled, "Why, I didn't think to ask your name!"

Reiko smiled and held out a hand. Mrs. Gelding shook it as she introduced herself. "I am Yvette Peters. My children found something near our home that I believe belongs to your family." Once her hand was released from the handshake Reiko pulled the wallet from her purse and handed it to Mrs. Gelding.

Mrs. Gelding curiously opened it and looked at the card inside. She gasped when she recognized Samantha's school ID. After a moment she regained awareness of the women beside her and tried to collect her thoughts. "I- Thank you. How can I repay you? Please, come inside for a drink or a snack."

The woman smiled and waved off her offer. "I am sorry but my children are waiting for me and I have been gone too long as it is. Good afternoon." She turned and started down the hall; leaving Mrs. Gelding in a stunned near-silence and Mrs. McFarthing muttering something about good Samaritans.

As Reiko left the building she felt a sly smile play across her lips. If the turtles weren't watching the family before they would be now. And Now was the important part, for it was absolutely essential to retrieve the disk before the intelligent turtle unlocked it's secrets.

This was no game, but Reiko planned to win.

* * *

It wasn't one of those awkward silences when the person being spoken about walked into the room and suddenly conversation was dead, but somehow Mikey's cheerful chatter had the same effect on Sam as she walked into the kitchen. Although Leo greeted her pleasantly and asked how she was feeling Sam half expected him to be stiff and uncomfortably silent. It was like she had seen a movie a hundred times before and now one of the scenes had been changed.

Samantha had finally been granted leave of her room and although she still didn't have much to do it was nice to be able to walk around freely. Her newly granted freedom would have been a lot more pleasant if she didn't keep getting this feeling that the guy's were hiding something from her. The problem was that she had nothing to support this feeling save the vague concern that the delusional state she'd fixed herself in when she'd first awoken had returned.

For now all Sam could do was to brush the feeling aside and smile at those around her.

* * *

When Sam had walked into the kitchen Mikey had quickly started babbling about his latest comic book. Leo tried to act normally and Raph barely grunted a greeting to her before slipping out of the kitchen to start the first shift. They had just agreed to take eight hour shifts watching Sam's family after the ninja woman had been seen entering and exiting the building on one of Donnie's security cameras, but the decision not to stress Sam with the growing danger to her family stood.

Luckily, she didn't appear to suspect anything.


	23. Loose Gelding

I do not own the TMNT

* * *

Chapter twenty-three; Loose Gelding

* * *

"And the Turtle Titan surveys the city, looking for any and all signs of trouble, not willing that any call for help should go unanswered." Mikey narrated quietly. He was trying, and failing, to relieve the boredom that had settled over his shift. The Gelding family –minus Sam of course- had all entered the apartment building for the evening and that usually meant no activity till morning…so naturally the most boring shift was given to the turtle with the shortest attention span.

With a bored sigh and a whiney "Dude." Mikey shifted his legs under him and started looking around the neighborhood. It was one of the nice parts of town where kids could still run around in relative safety in the daylight and things weren't much worse at night. A police car occasionally drove through to discourage illegal activities and the strays were clean and friendly. Mikey half expected to see a large, seven foot tall yellow bird strolling down the street.

That thought made Mikey smile. He absently started humming to himself. "Su-nny days, chasin' the –clouds a-way…" A door slamming brought his mind back to his work and Mikey quickly glanced down in time to see Travis running across the street.

"What's the little dude up to?" He asked. As the words slipped from him mouth Mikey saw a shadow disconnect from the building Travis had just run from and follow the boy. "Hero time!" Mikey announced, pulling out one of his nunchucks with one hand and reaching for his shell cell with the other hand.

* * *

Travis stomped into the alley and kicked the dumpster as hard as he could. To his credit the metal made a nice loud noise, but it hurt his foot a whole lot more. He didn't care. Again and again Travis kicked the dumpster till overhead somebody shouted at him to be quiet.

He spun around and dropped to the ground with his back to the dumpster. Using one of the sleeves on his sweater Travis swiped at the wet trails down his cheeks. His parents were yelling again. This time his father had gotten angry enough to pound on the kitchen counter, loudly. They always worried too much if they caught Travis going into Sam's room, but the shouting and pounding had gotten so loud he could still hear it on the other side of the door. Eventually he'd had to leave the building just to get some quiet.

Angrily, Travis swung his fist back, hitting the dumpster again and feeling the vibrations run through the metal and buzz against his back. The bones in his hand tingled painfully, but the pained tingling was better than just sitting there quietly. For a moment Travis stared at his hand, as if realizing a great truth. Slowly, almost experimentally, Travis moved his hand to the side and slapped it onto the ground. On impact his palm complained as gravel dug into his hand, leaving small scrapes and cuts.

Again Travis stared at his hand, considering something he couldn't quite put words to. Using his other hand Travis picked some of the gravel off his skin. One of the jagged pebbles he continued to stare at; thinking about things that somewhere in his mind he recoiled from as well as was drawn to.

The dumpster suddenly shook and clanged loudly, hurting his back even as it drove his previous train of thought from his mind for favor of terror. Travis scrambled away from the thing and turned around even as he continued to crawl away from it.

The large green container shook again before holding still. After a moment one of the black lids slowly rose a couple inches. It quickly closed again.

Travis glanced around and saw an abandoned broom next to a doorway. He stood slowly and took a few cautious steps toward it. Quickly he grabbed the broom handle and pulled it close to him, planning to use it as a weapon but holding it close to him for comfort as well. After a couple of steadying breaths that more closely resembled hyperventilation than courage Travis stepped closer to the dumpster. "I don't know who you are, but come out before I clobber you!"

No sound came from the dumpster. Anyone inside probably wouldn't be intimidated by the squeaky threat anyway.

After swallowing against the dryness in his throat Travis took a step towards the street. "I'm warning you!" He bluffed as well as a terrified nine year old could.

When nobody came out Travis took his chance and started to run. He took all of three steps toward home when a shadow landed almost silently in front of him. The shadow stood, revealing it to be a ninja dressed the same as the ones that had attacked him nearly a week ago.

Travis did the only thing he could think of; drop the broom and scream.


	24. Outnumbered Again

* * *

I do not own the TMNT

* * *

Chapter twenty-four; Outnumbered again

* * *

Sam looked up from the binder she was working on and glanced around the lair frowning. Donnie was still working in the lab, assembling yet another computer to replaced the first one that had been fried when his attempts to decode the disk had set off a hidden security protocol. Master Splinter was in the dojo with some incense, the wrinkle in his muzzle indicated the guys' training session had been…rigorous.

Leonardo, Raphael and Michelangelo were…nowhere in sight.

Sam frowned, a facial expression that was increasingly familiar to her lately. When Raph disappeared the others often claimed he was working in the garage. Mikey would be 'boarding in the sewers' and Leo would be… okay nobody ever really came up with a good cover for where Leo was disappearing off to. But this was the first time Sam could recall them all being missing at the same time since they had gone to search Sam's old room.

Master Splinter had also been acting strangely. It may have just been paranoia, but Sam was certain she saw him shooting covert looks at his sons and there was frequently a strong air of disapproval about him.

"Forget it Sam, you already convinced yourself they were plotting something before, and where did that get you? Attacked by mousers." She frowned and tried to focus on untangling a problem that had arisen in the store's books. Sam frowned again when she realized she was unconsciously fingering the locket hanging from her neck. Experience told her she should just trust the turtles, but try as she might she couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong, really _wrong_.

* * *

"_HELP!_"

"Back off creep!" The lid of the dumpster banged open and the orange masked turtle jumped out, landing directly between Travis and the ninja. His sudden appearance caused Travis to stumble backwards, landing hard on his rear before he began crawling away.

Mikey spun his nunchucks and struck at the foot ninja before the ninja had time to run away or attack. After his opponent hit the ground Mikey turned towards Travis and hurried forward. His determined expression frightened Travis who ducked just as Michelangelo jumped over him, taking out another foot ninja in the process. By the time Travis looked up there were at least two more of the black masked ninja lying on the ground, but several more had surrounded him and the turtle. "Stay close kid." Mikey advised, keeping his nunchucks spinning.

Travis nodded and tried to, but when the black ninja attacked it wasn't long before one of them distracted the turtle long enough for another ninja to seize the boy and pull him off his feet. "AUGH!" The ninja tossed Travis over his shoulder and leapt for the nearest fire escape.

"Hang on kid!" Mikey shouted, he kicked several ninja off of him and tried to give chase, only to be blocked by several more ninja. "Ah, shell."

"Geeze Mikey, you had one job." Raphael dropped down beside his little brother, scattering ninja like beetles. As soon as he was in the clear Mikey jumped for the fire escape, followed soon after by Raph. The two of them quickly jumped to the roof where Leo was already blocking the path of the ninja with Travis.

The ninja turned to find Raph and Mikey behind him. "You've nowhere else to go! Release the boy." Leo shouted.

Slowly the ninja shrugged Travis off his shoulder and moved him so that Travis was being held in his arms. Travis seemed to sense something and gave a shout of warning, or pure terror, before the ninja tossed him like a sack to another ninja. The second ninja caught Travis and barely a moment later was surrounded by the other foot ninja. The turtles quickly did their best to surround the small pack of ninja, but with more closing in from behind it was difficult to do anything effectively, hardly the best method to protect Travis.

* * *

Donatello glanced up from the computer screen just high enough so that he could see Samantha in the monitoring area. She was writing quickly on some scrap paper and checking her work with a calculator she'd borrowed from him. Sam absently tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear and jotted something down before clamping the pencil back in her mouth.

Once he was sure she was focused on her work Donnie reached over and grabbed his bo staff. He used the staff to hook the strap of his duffle without her seeing. After a few more moments he quietly slipped the duffle over his shoulder and slipped towards the door.

Despite how observant and quiet Donatello was he missed both the stealthy way her eyes slipped just over the top of her papers to watch him go and the slight crease that wrinkled her brow as he did.

Now all four turtles were gone, what was the deal?

* * *

Please Review


	25. So Much Drama

I do not own the TMNT or their masked foes.

* * *

Chapter twenty-five; So Much Drama

* * *

Master Splinter carried a tray into the monitoring area and rested it on a small stretch of the coffee table that Sam's work hadn't covered. She immediately started straightening piles and making more room for him. After sitting down Master Splinter lifted one of the cups and offered it to Sam. "So much work requires refreshment surely." He said.

Sam opened her mouth to refuse but he tilted the cup slightly so she could see the content of the cup was not tea –as she'd feared- but hot cocoa. Her objection melted into a smile. "Thank you."

He handed the cup to her before lifting his own. Master Splinter wasn't overly fond of hot cocoa –too thick for his tastes- but he was willing to drink it from time to time. "How is your," He glanced at the papers, not sure what to call the semi-organized mess, "Your project coming along?" He finally settled.

"It's nearly finished. Mostly I just have to put the different piles into binders and folders." Sam explained. She sipped the thick drink and closed her eyes, savoring the warmth both in the liquid and the flavor. "This is delicious, thank you."

Master Splinter nodded, feeling somewhat relieved. With the exception of Leonardo when Master Splinter asked about one of his son's interests he was usually given a long, eager response the majority of which he could not understand. He much preferred this terminology of 'piles', 'binders', and 'folders' to 'mint condition', 'chassis' and 'thermo-nuclear dynamics'.

After a moment of comfortable silence during which Sam enjoyed the cocoa she looked over at the old rat. "Master Splinter?" She asked slowly.

Master Splinter lowered his cup, sensing a question that was heavy on her mind. "Yes child?"

Samantha glanced down at the dark liquid in her cup before looking back up, "Are the guys usually gone so much? I really don't know anything about what goes on around here, but it seems a little strange."

"I see." And he did. Sam's eyes were filled with worry and concern; they held a great many questions as well. As he collected his thoughts Master Splinter replaced his cup on the tray, unlike Sam's it was still nearly full. "I could not say that anything occurring within our home is…_normal_ Samantha. However you are right in that their current absences are more frequent than usual."

Sam frowned slightly, both because this left her with more questions and because she could see that it was troubling the kind rat. She did her best to paste a smile on and change the subject. "Thanks, I was just wondering. Now; what do you think of Cori and Kam? I don't think it'll last a week."

Master Splinter's eyes glittered slightly; glad to have finally found someone who appreciated his stories and relieved that she hadn't asked any of the more difficult questions. He understood and in part agreed with his sons' decision to keep certain facts from Samantha, but that didn't mean he agreed with it completely. However, his sons were nearly grown; it was time to start withdrawing his guidance and allow them to stand on their own.

* * *

Ever tried surrounding about twenty ninja with just three ninja? Even with the street-side edge of the building blocking their escape in one direction the odds didn't look to good; the odds worsened considerably when one of the ninja grabbed Travis by the back of his shirt and held him out over the edge of the building.

"The disk!" The ninja called, "Return it or the boy dies."

"They talk!" Mikey exclaimed, he sounded more surprised than joking.

The leather on the hilts of Leo's katana creaked as he tightened his grip, "We don't have it." He called.

Travis screamed as he dropped a couple inches before the ninja tightened his grip on the shirt again. The ninja tilted his head as if asking for another answer. Leonardo's mind raced, it was hard enough trying to read an opponent's expressions but when that opponent was en mass and in mask…it was as good as impossible. He didn't have a clue what to say to make them pull Travis back to safety, much less hand him over unharmed.

A few yards to Leo's left Raph had his sais drawn and was almost shaking with tension. He clearly wanted to act, needed to move, but Raphael also knew that one wrong move and Sam would be an only child. On Leo's left Mikey's chucks were spinning faster than the eye could follow. A faint singing in the air announced just how fast the chucks were spinning as Mikey tried to release some of his own energy into the weapons.

The last person expected to break the tension did.

Travis's gaze had been fixed on the open space below him since the ninja had held him up. After nearly being dropped his focus had intensified until after a few minutes of silence while Leo tried to come up with a plan that wouldn't involve getting Travis killed the boy started to squirm and kick. The ninja holding him was about to pull him in before they lost their bargaining chip but Travis lifted his arms and literally fell out of his shirt and over the edge.

"No!" The turtles leapt into battle, releasing their full fury against the enemy ninja but no sooner had the battle renewed than the ninja started to vanish. By the time the last shadowed figure had vanished Raph was still cursing a blue streak and Mikey looked ready to cry.

Leo slowly sheathed his katana and moved to the edge of the roof. After taking a moment to brace himself he looked over the edge to confirm what had to be the inevitable. As his eyes focused they widened considerably…

* * *


	26. The Gelding Boy

I do not own the TMNT

* * *

Chapter twenty-six; The Gelding Boy

* * *

Donatello arrived at the top of the Krauts from Kraus building to find his three brothers leaning over the street side edge of the building looking down at something. He hitched up the strap of his duffle and ran across the roof to join them. "What's happening?"

Raph and Mikey jumped slightly, although Raph quickly covered it. Leo only lifted the ridges over his eyes slightly before explaining quickly, "A Foot ninja dropped Travis over the side, see for yourself." Donnie cringed and did as he was told. He crept over to the edge of the roof and scanned the sidewalk for street pizza shaped like Sam's brother.

Instead, about two stories down, a topless young boy clung to the sign attached to the building. He looked scared, but stronger than his fear was hope and a slightly triumphant grin. "He's okay!" Donnie exclaimed.

"But he'd also out of reach." Leo explained. "The window above him means we can't use shuko spikes to get to him."

The genius turtle nodded as he considered the options and before it seemed he'd had time to mull the idea over he had a solution. "Mikey, do you still have that device Nobody gave you?"

"Sure, but what-"

"Shoot it at the roof, right here." Donnie pointed at his feet and stepped back as Mikey held his arm out. A moment later the concrete roof shattered as the device's grappling hook launched at it. "Good, now repel down and grab Travis."

Mikey's face lit up, "Right!" He grabbed the rope and backed over the edge, "Hang on dude!" Down below Travis voiced some kind of agreement.

It wasn't long before Mikey had rappelled down to Travis's level. The sign creaked and scraped as Mikey lifted Travis off of it. He helped Travis onto his shell and with a cheery "Hold tight!" Mikey started back up to the roof. Travis did as he was told, holding on and keeping his head down like he had done with Donatello.

Once Mike had scaled the building back up to the roof he helped Travis to his feet and let Donnie check him over. Other than a few minor scratches on his arms and hands and a nasty bruise coming in on his chin the boy was unharmed. Raph actually ruffled Travis's hair. "Kid that was really somethin'." He complimented.

Travis grinned slightly but something made him frown again and his hand went to his neck. "Are you looking for this?" Leo offered, handing him the shirt he had slipped out of. Although he took the shirt Travis shook his head. There was something about the boy's expression that was painfully familiar. It took a moment before Leo realized that Travis's eyes were exactly like Sam's; same shape, same color and now the same look of worry.

Leo waited for the boy to put his shirt on before asking. "Travis, is something bothering you?"

After fiddling with the collar of his shirt more than Leo thought was necessary Travis glanced around before asking quietly, "Is Pat okay?"

Raph and Mikey exchanged confused looks but Leo nodded. "She's fine, a little worried about you but she's doing well."

Again Travis's hand wandered to the collar of his shirt. "If somebody gave me something, a bad somebody, and they wanted me to give it to you would you want it? Even if it might be bad?" He asked, his eyes were wide and worried, but hopeful.

Leo frowned. "Somebody gave you something? Who gave it to you?"

Travis swallowed, "A ninja lady. She grabbed me in the boy's room and gave me a necklace thing 'cept I don't think it's supposed to be a necklace."

The description didn't help. Leo looked to Donnie who shrugged, he needed more information too. Leo looked back to Travis and considered. Whatever the thing was it could be meant specifically to track the turtles or perhaps some other insidious plan to kill them, but leaving it with Travis could mean more trouble for the Geldings. Furthermore; who knew what this 'ninja lady' would do if she found out Travis hadn't given it to them. Although Leo's primary responsibility was to protect his family, he had sworn his protection over Travis and his family as well.

"It would probably be best if we took it." Leo decided. "Can you get it to us?"

Travis nodded and glanced across the street to his apartment building. "You see that alley? The one right there?" He pointed.

"Yes, we see it." Leo agreed, beside him he could feel his brothers sizing up the area and the best routes across the street.

"If you stand in that alley and look up, there's a window on the third floor that's all barred up. That's my room and I can throw the necklace thing down to you…okay?" He looked anxiously up at the turtles.

Mikey gave him a thumbs up, "No problem little dude." He held out a hand and Travis took it. When he found himself being swung up onto the friendly mutant's shell Travis couldn't help but giggle a little. When the black ninjas carried him it was scary, but there was something fun about riding on the back of a turtle. "Grab tight dude." Mike warned- and then he was off.

As the two of them hooted and hollered like a couple of loons Raph quipped under his breath "Great, Mikey's found someone his own age to hang with." Don grinned and followed his brother to make sure the kid wasn't killed now that he had been saved.

Leo took the rear as they returned to street level. He marveled slightly at how though the physical similarities between Sam and Travis remained even through Sam's mutation their personalities were dramatically different. Whereas Sam had been ready to faint again after jumping off a building of approximately the same height, once Travis was sure he'd survived the drop he laughed and asked if they could do that again. But there were similarities even in their differences. That same fire that gave Sam the courage to fight so fiercely had lit in Travis's eyes before he'd shed his shirt. All Leo could do with this was shake his head and wonder if it was the same way with his brothers and himself.

But of course he shared no similarities with Raph, there was no possible way.

They decided the best route across the street was to make a straight run for it and hope nobody would see. Once safely back in the shadows beside the apartment building they released Travis and watched him carefully as he ran into the main entrance.

Several minutes passed as they waited. Donnie pulled back his wristband and used his watch and his knowledge of the building to estimate how long they could expect to wait. He started absently muttering factors under his breath and after about two minutes replaced the wrist guard and looked up at the window in question. No more than fifteen seconds later they all heard the screech of metal and the light around the metal bars shifted before a small hand emerged and tossed something down.

"I got it!" Mikey called. He was ready for it but at the last moment victory was snatched from the tips of his six fingers by his dark skinned brother. Raph smirked at Mikey's pout before tossing the package to Donatello.

Leo waved up at the window and they heard it screech shut again.

Donatello unwrapped the paper from around the package and uncovered a bandage and a flash drive on a strap. He assumed the flash drive was the object, but the bandage sparked his curiosity and he held the paper to a beam of light from a nearby streetlight.

_Here it is. The band aid is for the red turtl's arm. Thank you for saving me!_

_Travis._

Donnie glanced up and almost smiled when he saw the smear of blood on Raph's arm. For them it was barely more than a scratch, but Travis was clearly a little worried.

The flash drive, however, opened a whole new line of questioning. What was on it? Who had given it to Travis? Was it trouble?

* * *

(*yawns*) Finals week is almost over so here I present you with the next chapter.

Okay, it's naptime now.


	27. Hx

I do not own the TMNT

* * *

Chapter twenty-seven; Hx

* * *

It was nearly eleven by the time three of the turtles –Michelangelo, Donatello and Leonardo- returned to the lair. Samantha was out of sight and considering the hour she was probably in bed. They hurried to Donnie's lab so that he could try and read the contents on the flash drive. Donnie sat in his computer chair and Leo stood beside him, one hand resting on the back of the chair. Mikey hovered nearby impatiently.

Don quickly plugged the device into the computer he'd set up for the disk and waited for the hard drive to read the information. It wasn't long before a screen popped up requesting an authorized password. Donne rolled his eyes and entered a simple code. The computer whirred for a moment; asterisks appeared and disappeared on the screen until a soft beep announced that the simple security program had been hacked.

A program opened up and several file icons filled the screen. The files were labeled with numbers and letters that didn't seem to hold much importance. All of the files either began with an R or a T5. After skimming through the labels Donnie chose one labeled; T5-000-P.

It opened to a program that looked similar to the ones Donnie used to keep the medical records. Instead of a name it simply read T5. After that came a simple chart noting factors like height, weight, resting heart rate, respiratory rate, temperature and other factors that fell into the normal range for a human. Don scrolled down a little and choked. Behind him Mikey gasped and the back of the chair Donnie sat in creaked as Leo's grip tightened.

There was an image of a girl -a familiar girl- lying on a table either unconscious or sleeping. In this image she wore a private school uniform with the sleeves torn back, there was a bruise on her face and a little blood showed on her right arm at the crook of her elbow. Mikey was still recovering from the shock when Donnie started translating the notes beside the image from science-ese.

"This was what she looked like when Stockman found her. Apparently he had to reverse a poison in her system and she was supposed to be incinerated." He scrolled a little further. There was a close up image of her arm, which looked like it had been torn up by several needle marks. Again beside the image were more notes. "Mostly it's just notes on her condition." Donnie explained.

"What about the other files?" Leo asked. He pushed the words out from between his teeth.

Donnie backed out of the file and clicked on some others. Anything that was labeled with an R described an experiment and observations of several rats. Files labeled T5 all pertained to Sam. There were tons of notes, hundreds of images, hours of video clips. After skimming through one of the files Donnie reported. "Stockman's project involved several infusions of a solution comprised of various unstable chemicals and a retrovirus."

"He gave Sam a virus?" Mikey spoke up. "Like the flu?"

"Not quite Mikey, it's a retrovirus; it infects living cells of a host and alters the DNA slightly to accept a new code." Donnie explained. "Medical doctors sometimes use specialized retroviruses to cure rather than to make sick." He frowned, his expression grim, "Frankly this one's making me a little sick."

"What do you mean Don?" Leo pressed.

Donnie pointed to a series of notes that made no sense whatsoever to his brothers. "He used the retro virus to supplant Sam's DNA with that of normal turtles." The purple banded mutant slid his finger to another part of the screen. "The goal was to mutate her as closely to us as possible and…" The way his voice trailed off didn't sound good.

"And what Don?" Donnie didn't answer. "And _what_?"

After a moment of tense silence Donnie started closing the files he'd opened, planning to come back later and get any information he might need to help Samantha.

"Did you ever stop to think what Stockman would do if he could capture one of us?" Donatello asked in that scary serious voice of his that meant he was really, truly angry. "He'd have a scientific field day. Experiments, tests, disec- oh shell." While he had spoken Donnie had swiveled his chair around to face his brothers, but now he froze and if it was possible his skin paled more than it had reading the files. Leo followed his gaze and stiffened. Mikey was the last to turn around and when he did he couldn't hold back a squeak.

Samantha stood in the doorway of the lab, her skin had an unhealthy pallor and her eyes were wide and scared. It wasn't hard to tell she'd heard everything.

For a painful moment nobody spoke or moved before Sam suddenly darted from the room.


	28. Bruised Chins, Scarred Minds

I do not own the TMNT

* * *

Chapter twenty-eight; Bruised Chins, Scarred Minds

* * *

Mrs. Gelding came into Travis's room. "Okay short stuff, time for bed."

Travis nodded and started to wade through the junk on the floor towards his dresser; he was _pretty sure_ he still had a pair of clean pajamas in there. Before he could open the drawer his mom stopped him. "What happened there?" She bravely knelt down in the mess that was Travis's bedroom and stared intently at something near his neck.

"What's what?" Travis asked. His mother placed a hand along his jaw and despite her care not to hurt him he felt his chin burn as he lifted his head.

"Travis, where did you get that bruise?" Mrs. Gelding demanded.

"I fell." It was the truth! Two floors count as falling, right?

"What in the world did you fall _on_? Travis this bruise is awful, I might have to take you to the doctor to make sure you didn't crack your jaw!" That idea scared him, doctors were worse than lawyers when it came to lies! They _always_ knew when you were lying!

"I tripped in my room. Hit my bed." Travis told her. Even if she took him to the doctor Travis wouldn't tell about the turtles. Adults were sometimes strange about things like that, and if his mom found out about the ninjas she'd lock him in a dungeon or something! Without video games!

For a moment Mrs. Gelding frowned, trying to match the bruise to the story. The frame of Travis's bed _could_ have caused this…maybe. "I think I would have heard that." She protested.

"You mean over your fight?"

That struck a nerve. Mrs. Gelding flinched and released her son. "Fine then, get ready for bed. If you need any ice for your jaw let me know right away." Travis nodded, the large purple bruise under his chin flashing in and out of sight. "And I want you to clean this room up; to your _father_'s standards so there won't be any more accidents. Okay?"

This time Travis grimaced. "You'll make Dad inspect?"

His mother nodded. "Yep, you have till Saturday buster."

Travis groaned; that dungeon was beginning to sound pretty good.

* * *

Knocking on the door. "Sam?"

"_What's that?"_

"_This, my dear, is a very special serum I've made of a variety of fascinating substances. I plan to use it in much the same fashion as DNA therapy and observe the results. They should prove most interesting."_

She sat on the floor of the bathroom, facing the toilet in case she should need it again.

"Sam? Are you okay in there?"

"_You, you mean you don't know what it's supposed to do?"_

"_Not really, no. I have a hypothesis of course…"_

"shut up, please just shut up." Sam whispered against the memories. She pulled her knees up and continued to hug her chest.

"Samantha? Please, if you don't answer I'm going to have to come in."

"…_experimentation and discovery…"_

"_He'd have a scientific field day. Experiments, tests, disec-…"_

Sam retched.

Somebody was messing with the handle of the bathroom. The door opened and Leo came in slowly. "Sam?" He saw her curled up on the floor, hugging her arms around her chest as tightly as she could and shaking. Her face was wet and her eyes unfocused. She looked _terrified_. Leo instantly regretted leaving her alone for so long.

He hurried to her side before gently kneeling down. "Sam?" He asked again, this time just trying to see if she heard him. Samantha didn't react at first, but after a moment she blinked and slowly looked over at Leo.

"He…it was horrible." She said, her voice was haunted, "And it was going to get _worse_!" On the last word her voice cracked.

"But you're safe now." Leo told her. Slowly, cautiously, he lifted a hand before using his thumb to wipe away some of the moisture on her cheek. "It won't get worse, it'll get better." Sam's gaze dropped slightly but she nodded.

After a moment Leo started to pull his hand away but Sam took it and held it. "could you…" She swallowed and tried again, "Could you stay with me? I…I really don't want to be alone right now."

Without another word Leo moved so that he was sitting beside Sam on the bathroom floor. He placed one arm over her shoulders and held her close. All the while Sam never released his hand nor did she stop shivering.


	29. Hard Night

I do not own the TMNT

* * *

Chapter twenty-nine; Hard Night

* * *

It had been a long night.

Rescuing Travis and learning about the experiments done to Sam was more than enough to knock all the turtles out, but they were still awake. Raph was beating the punching bag with more ferocity than had been seen from him in some time. Mikey had gone to bed earlier, but now he was on the couch watching a DVD… something light on drama and heavy on fluff. Leo had carried Sam to bed some time ago after she'd fallen asleep in the bathroom. It wasn't long before the nightmares resurfaced and eventually Leo chose to camp out on the floor of her bedroom.

Despite his naggings that his brothers and their guest needed their rest Donatello himself still sat at his desk pouring over the information from the memory device Travis had delivered.

Stockman had made sure his experiments received heavy amounts of calcium, vitamin D and other minerals essential to the growth of cartilage and bones. This excess of mineral deposits had the side effect of altering how certain proteins bonded with certain lipids of the integument during regeneration of cells… er… that is to say; Stockman's concerns for the growth of healthy bones accidentally weakened the skin's ability to heal properly. This explained why her shell was healing so well while her skin was scarring. This mistake didn't explain why Sam still had hair on her scalp though…

A nagging thought as to Sam's balance of reptilian and human features led Donnie to look more closely at the actual chemicals responsible for her forced mutation. From what Donnie had read; Baxter Stockman had planned a sequence of seven infusions, but he'd successfully administered only five. The last two were unusual compounds that were completely unfamiliar to Donnie, but genetics were not exactly his field.

After going over the information several times Don shook his head and admitted defeat…but only from his perspective. Hamato Donatello was not the only genius in the sewers of New York…

"Donatello, my son, are you still awake or has the near impossible occurred and you chose to arise early?" Donnie looked up at the sound of Master Splinter's voice. His father was looking at him with concern and when Donnie looked over at the clock he was surprised to find that it was morning… by Leo's book at least, the rest of the family would argue that four thirty did not constitute as 'morning'.

"I was just trying to get some information off this device that might help me to-"

"Donatello." Master Splinter held up a hand to stop Donnie. "I understand this is very important to you, but I am sure that the information can wait and will hold much more relevance to you than it does now."

"But Sam-"

"-would likely agree that you need your rest." Master Splinter's expression slipped from gentle and caring to more stern. "Donatello, you will go to your room and you will not come out until you have rested."

Donnie nodded and turned back to the computer. "Right sensei, right after I-" The computer screen suddenly went blank. Donatello blinked; he hadn't thought Master Splinter knew how to turn the computer monitor off. "-or I could go now." He consented.

"Very good." Master Splinter praised as Donatello stood. He didn't miss the slight stiffness his intellectually inclined son attempted to hide as he walked slower than usual to his bedroom, closing the door behind him.

For a moment the master stood in the middle of the laboratory, one hand resting on his walking stick while he listened to the lair around him. Raphael had finally gone to his room, as his snoring loudly announced. Not quite as loudly Michelangelo murmured in his sleep where he had dozed off in front of the televisions. The silence from Samantha's room meant little, Leonardo and Samantha could be awake and lost in thought, or possibly have fallen asleep. Last time Splinter had checked on them Samantha was feigning sleep, Leonardo was attempting to make his pillow hold some semblance of comfort.

It had been a long night.

And it wasn't over yet. A door slowly opened. A soft footstep landed on the stone. "Goodnight Donatello." The foot retreated and the door closed. After waiting a few moments to be sure his son did not try this old trick again Master Splinter returned to his quarters for some much-needed rest.

* * *

Patricia Gelding jerked awake at the guitar rift from one of her favorite bands. Groaning slightly, she reached over and hit the snooze button.

Deep in her gut there was a heaviness that had not lifted since the afternoon that her daughter had disappeared. It got worse every time she and her husband had a fight and last night had been bad, very bad. In the end he'd grabbed his coat and announced that he'd be sleeping at the office.

For a moment Patricia felt tears burning behind her eyelids. Some horrible things had been said; some things had gone unsaid but were expressed nonetheless. As a lawyer divorce was often seen as a double paycheck, but now it loomed as something more.

"Mom?" Patricia jumped and rolled over. Travis was sitting up on the other side of the bed, rubbing his eyes and holding his head at a strange angle that made the bruise on his chin more obvious. "Don't you have to get up now?"

"Travis! What are you doing here?"

The boy frowned and started to look down but his bruised chin objected and he settled for staring at a space on the wall behind his mother. Patricia made a mental note to get him to the hospital and get his jaw x-rayed. "I couldn't sleep." He answered.

"Just couldn't sleep, nightmare couldn't sleep or painful couldn't sleep?" Pat questioned.

When Travis didn't answer right away it told Pat that it was nightmares. She didn't know what it was with her kids' reluctance to talk about their dreams; they must have gotten it from their father's side. "What did you see honey?" Pat encouraged.

Travis was so serious that it was a little frightening. "Zack's mom is dead, isn't she? That's why Zack isn't at school anymore, right?"

Nodding slightly, Patricia shifted so she could pull Travis into her lap. "Yes honey. That's why Zack isn't in school anymore." They sat there for a few minutes, cuddling and comforting until the alarm went off. After slapping at the button again Pat asked. "Do you need to stay home today?"

"Could I go to work with you?" His voice was small, he didn't want to be a bother but he didn't want to be left alone again.

The ninja had come back, they were after him and he knew it. Just like in his dream last night, and if sleeping in his parent's bed chased away the dreams maybe staying with his mom would chase away the fears.


	30. Leatherhead

I do not own the TMNT

* * *

Thirty; Leatherhead

* * *

Reiko nodded as she listened to the report. Just as she'd suspected the turtles has responded as soon as there was a threat to the boy. She had their attention now; all she had to do was formulate the plan.

"Reiko-san." Another of the lesser ranked tech ninja entered Reiko's quarters and bowed respectfully.

"What is it?" She demanded.

The tech ninja stood up and moved forward, handing Reiko a printout. "The tap on the office phone for Mr. Gelding recorded this conversation. I believe it may be of interest to you."

"Thank you, return to your duties." Reiko ordered.

"Hai." Again the ninja bowed and left the room.

Reiko waited before the ninja was out of the room before she lifted the printout and skimmed the conversation. It was a short discussion between Mr. Gelding and a woman only identified as 'Laura'. The conversation made it clear that they were very familiar with one another and ended shortly after plans were made for a dinner. After reading through the conversation once more Reiko felt the beginnings of a plan forming in her mind. This dinner would be just the opportunity she had been waiting for.

* * *

Raphael still wasn't sure what to make of this girl.

Sure Sam was okay, but after nearly a month he hadn't talked to her much; especially not after Don essentially grounded her for a while there. And then there was that whole business nut thing; seriously, who could stand all that math junk? There was a reason Don and Raph rarely talked unless it was over an engine and that reason was Raph didn't relate well to geeks.

But anyone who could go through all that crap Stockman had put her through and keep their sanity might be worth getting to know. She might be a nerd, but she was a tough nerd… like Donnie… and hopefully not too much like Leo. She just might be worth getting to know, it wasn't like she'd be able to leave soon anyway.

Besides, all that pacing she was doing was starting to get on his nerves.

Raph ventured up to her room and watched her march impatiently back and forth for a moment before knocking on the frame of the door. Although she tried to cover it up Raph didn't miss how she jumped at the unexpected sound. "Hey?" She greeted, obviously curious as to why he had come for a visit.

"You were in track, right?" Of course she was, they didn't give business geeks little statues with silver runners on them.

"Yeah." Sam confirmed.

She started to ask a question but Raph interrupted her, "Listen, I got Don's okay if you want ta go for a walk through the tunnels. Figured you could use the extra space from the hole you were wearing in the floor." Samantha actually glanced down like she expected to see a track in the stone floor.

When she looked up again Sam was smiling sheepishly, "A walk would be great." She confessed.

With a jerk of his head for Sam to follow, Raph headed for the main entrance of the lair; which had been patched since the mousers' last attack. Before he could reach the door it hissed and started to rise and permit a visitor. When Raphael saw who it was he grinned. "Hey! LH, how's it goin'?"

"…eep…" Samantha eeped.

Standing in the doorway was the giant alli… croc... the mutant Sam had seen humming in the sewers when she'd tried to run home. If he had been huge seen from above that was nothing compared to seeing him from the ground. He was easily seven feet tall and no lightweight by any means whatsoever, when he stepped his foot made a solid noise on the stone floor and his voice rumbled so low Sam could feel it in her shell. "Ah, good afternoon Raphael." He smiled slightly as he nodded to Sam. "And I presume you are Miss. Gelding, Donatello has told me about you."

"Samantha, Miss Gelding is my aunt." Sam answered automatically.

"Of course, my apologies." The giant mutant said sincerely. Sam was suddenly reminded very strongly of how polite Oroku Saki had been.

"Uh, right, uh, Sam, this is Leatherhead. He lives a few minute's walk from here." Raph hastily introduced them before turning back to the visitor. "So what brings ya round here?" He asked cheerfully.

"Donatello has asked me to help pass a difficult firewall." Leatherhead explained.

Raph nodded. "Right, Don's in his lab so you know where to find him."

The giant reptile glanced over to the lab. "Thank you Raphael. I see you are on your way out and will not keep you." He nodded to Sam. "It is a pleasure meeting you Miss Samantha."

"Uh…you too." Sam managed. Leatherhead smiled slightly and hurried past them to help Donnie.

For a moment Sam stood there in shock until Raph put a hand on her shoulder and said in a low voice. "Yeah, he's huge."

Sam shook her head and regained her focus before following him out the door, "Okay, the brilliant red head science geek who runs a junk shop, the cute guy who likes wearing a hockey mask and beating things up with sports equipment and the cultured giant… are there any more strange friends I should meet?" She asked without expecting an answer.

"Sure, wait till ya meet Nobody." Raph grinned. His grin suddenly melted and he came to a sudden stop shortly into the tunnel. "Wait a minute… did you just call the head Case _cute_?"

The blood rushed to Sam's face till her face was so hot it almost hurt. "Don't change the subject." She muttered.

* * *

"Am I correct in assuming that you did _not_ in fact ask for my help so that I might help you with an actual firewall?" Leatherhead asked tactfully.

Donatello glanced at the computer monitors to make sure Raph and Sam weren't in any danger of coming back soon before he answered. "You're right, as usual. Actually, I need your expertise in genetics; particularly with gathering information from laboratory records."

Leatherhead frowned. "Laboratory records?" His own eyes darted to the computer screen where Raphael and Samantha were talking; Raphael smug and clearly teasing Samantha's body posture screaming embarrassment as she tried to act nonchalant about something. "Hers?"

Donnie nodded. "Yes."

After considering for a moment Leatherhead nodded, mostly to himself. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes for a moment, steeling himself against his inner demons before opening his eyes and turning to another computer where it was clear the most recent work had been focused. "I will do all that I can."


	31. New Events

I do not own the TMNT

* * *

Chapter thirty-one; New events

* * *

The next time something of interest occurred at the Gelding family's apartment complex Leonardo was on watch. It was evening; the last of the sunlight was vanishing from the city and normally this meant no more activity for the night... barring another run by Travis. So when Leo saw Mr. Gelding step out of the building dressed in a nice suit and heading for a nearby taxi it didn't bode well. After sending off a quick call to Donnie Leo followed the cab.

* * *

"Mikey!" Donnie hollered across the lair. Michelangelo looked up and seemed to recognize some signal that Casey and Sam missed. He nodded and handed the box he was carrying to the closest set of hands before hurrying to the elevator.

Unfortunately the closest set of hands belonged to Sam and the box was too big for her to carry when suddenly shoved into her care. "Wait!" She squeaked before feeling both the box and her still unfamiliar shell force her backwards. Fortunately Leatherhead was nearby and managed to lend a tail and brace her from behind before Sam toppled over completely. Feeling her face heat up slightly Samantha muttered an appreciative, "Thanks."

"Here." Casey came over and helped Sam to her feet, then took the box before she fell over again.

April's store was currently being worked on to fix the damage caused by the mousers. Most of her valuables and merchandise were being moved down to the lair and the mutants were more than willing to help. So while Raph, Mikey and Casey overseen by April, moved supplies Leatherhead volunteered to help move larger items and Sam was busily listing and cataloguing everything. Earlier Leo had been helping too, until he had switched with Raph in the now standard position of 'missing turtle'.

Donnie continued to work in the lab, occasionally he would announce something along the lines of "Yes! This is good!... okay, not so good but still workable… or crash, crash is good too." before redoubling his efforts. Sam wasn't sure exactly when, but somewhere along the line it had stopped being about discovering what secrets the disk contained and more about breaking the security codes to his superior intellect. He was acting a little scary and Sam guessed that was why Leatherhead had been so eager to help with the antiques and such.

Sam herself was feeling pretty good. Her recent upset over the lab information had been relatively short lived, although it had been a hard first night she was now back to where she had been before. Not necessarily better but fortunately not worse. In fact, if anything she felt slightly less jumpy knowing some more of the details of the experiment and _what the heck was crawling on her leg?!_

As if the sensation alone weren't bad enough Sam made the mistake of looking down. With a nearly supersonic screech Samantha batted the thing off of her leg and jumped behind the nearest turtle, which happened to be Raph.

"What's yer problem?" He demanded.

"Ew! Killit killit killit!" Sam replied with as much grace and decorum as she could manage.

"Kill what?" Raph stepped over to where Sam had been standing and looked around some before he saw it; a big, acid green, shiny, creepy _bug._ The bug was moving its legs in that slow, eerily smooth way that bugs had. The little monster was horrid; behind him Raph could hear Sam make a repulsed sound in her throat. He tried to determine his course of action.

Bravely he took action, "Uh…" His eyes darted around, years of ninjitsu training allowing him to come up with a quick strategy. "Hey Case! Will ya get a look at that!" Raph stepped back quickly in the pretense of letting his friend get a good look at the shiny demon, Sam barely managed to move back fast enough herself to avoid getting run over.

Casey put the box down and came over to look at the thing. "Hey, that's pretty cool!" He grinned and picked the bug up. Both Sam and Raph shuddered. "Hey Leatherhead, what d'ya think of this little guy?"

Although Leatherhead noted the was Raph was reacting to the creature with a slight twitch at the corner of his mouth he was polite enough not to mention anything as he turned his attention to the bug. "Hmm, I am unfamiliar with this species." He commented. "Perhaps Donatello would recognize it."

"I'll go ask him." Casey nodded and ran off like a little boy who'd found a bug… which he essentially was… where it counted.

From her hiding place behind Raph's shell Sam mumbled, "Couldn't you have stabbed that thing with those fork things?"

"They ain't forks, the're sais." Raph growled before grabbing the nearest box and stalking off with it.

* * *

Had any of his brothers been present they wouldn't have been surprised to see Leo answer his shell cell without glancing at the caller ID. "Hey Mikey, are you in place?"

"_Yeah bro, I got it covered._" Mikey answered. That meant that Mikey would keep watch over the Gelding's apartment while Leo followed the father.

"Good. Talk to you later." Leo replied before hanging up and replacing the device in his belt. Several stories below the taxi cab idled beside another apartment building where Mr. Gelding had just gone in.

* * *

What now? I'll try not to keep you waiting too long for an answer. The good news is; Sam now has blackmail against Raph! No more teasing!

Review if you care to make a guess, tell me the secret to life or even leave a comment!


	32. The Date

I do not own the TMNT

* * *

Chapter thirty-two; The Date

* * *

"Laura I know I've already said it, but you look simply gorgeous tonight."

Laura smiled sweetly, "Brandon you can stop saying that already." She objected, but with a sly wink she added, "Not that I'm giving you any orders." Brandon Gelding chuckled, knowing full well his date loved getting all the compliments she could. And in his opinion she deserved it. The lovely blond was enough to turn dozens of heads in her normal attire, but now that she was dressed for an evening on the town Brandon was sure to be the envy of the male species. "But enough with the secrecy, where are we going? You can't keep it a secret when you tell the cab driver."

"And what If I've already told him?" Brandon asked.

Laura pouted slightly. "Then I'd say you're teasing me!"

Laughing, Brandon agreed to confess as he led Laura out of the apartment building and towards the taxi. "Nothing fancy really. I managed to convince tonight's host at La Belle de Florence to save us a table."

"You didn't!" Laura gasped.

Brandon shrugged. "Don't think anything of it, I'm sure it's right by the kitchens and there'll be a draft and-"

"Oh hush up you! Brandon I can see right through your act!" After feigning annoyance Laura's expression cracked and she giggled. "My, and what would Pat say?"

"Shh, don't tell her." Brandon whispered with a conspiring grin as he helped Laura into the cab.

* * *

Reiko smiled as the communicator beeped. "Report." She ordered.

"_Mr. Gelding and his date are on their way to the restaurant. The blue banded turtle is shadowing them. The orange banded one guards the apartment._"

Her smile remained. "Perfect."

"_Should we attack now?_"

Reiko waved the idea off as if the ninja could actually see her. "Do not be so heartless, it takes months to get a reservation at Belle Florence. Wait until they return to this Laura woman's apartment. Then strike."

"_It will be done._" Reiko turned off the communicator and left the women's quarters. Her plan was flawless, it would not fail. Of this she was confident.

* * *

_Red finished Peruvian vase, 30' tall ID 10494_ "Check." Sam murmured as she finished recording the last item on the list. All of the valuables from April's shop had been transported with the only casualties being an irreplaceable antique mirror, and the side of Casey's head when April had found out.

Samantha flipped the binder shut and clipped the pen on the cover. After placing the binder on one of the boxes where April could find it she headed for Donnie's lab with a slight skip in her step. Donnie had said that he should be able to completely remove the bandages from her leg and shell. Her arm needed a little more time but Sam was looking forward to it all the same.

She stopped outside of his lab just in time to hear Donnie asking Leatherhead, "What do you think you'll learn from that?"

"I do not know my friend, but there is something about this information that certainly warrants further investigation." Shortly after that Leatherhead left the lab, the memory device holding Samantha's lab records in hand. He saw Sam and wished her a goodnight before leaving, but Sam didn't miss the sparkle in his eyes. Leatherhead was certainly excited about something, and it had something to do with those research notes. It didn't bother Sam one way or the other, she figured it was for the best to get that thing out of the lair and as far from her as possible.

As Sam entered the lab she glanced around and noticed a large glass jar with cloth stretched over the top. Inside on a little bit of dirt and some leaves the large green bug rested going about its creepy crawly way. Sam was fighting the urge to leave the room when she saw the tape with Donnie's handwriting on it.

"_SamRaphicus Phobicus, the common Killit_."

Turning at the sound of a poorly smothered giggle Sam shot Donatello the darkest glare she could manage. "It was Leatherhead's idea." Donnie said weakly.

"Uh-huh." Sam intoned humorlessly.

Donnie tried to calm down and grab the things he'd need to remove her bandages. "Anyway." He coughed trying to change the subject. "I have really good news. I finally cracked the security on the disk."

"Really?" He'd said that before, right before the computer crashed.

"Definitely this time." Donnie confirmed. He turned Sam around so that he could get at her shell. "I can now navigate the information on the disk freely." There was a slight ripping sound as he pulled the tape off of her shell. "Unfortunately it seems to be just a bunch of financial records. I haven't figured out yet why the foot clan is so determined to get it back."

Sam perked up. "Financial records? Maybe I could take a look."

Donnie nodded absently as he inspected the shell under the bandage, there was a little scarring where he had removed a segment of her shell to retrieve the tracking device… but it shouldn't have healed so quickly or so cleanly. Leatherhead had hypothesized that this could indicate the mutagenic process could still be active in her system.

"Would that be alright?" Sam asked.

Blinking back to attention Donnie asked, "Would what be okay?"

"If I looked at the program. You said it was financial records and that's pretty much right up my alley."

Don frowned. The records might contain information that the turtles had been trying to shield Sam from, but if she could help…

"Sounds like a plan." He agreed.

* * *

Please review, things start hopping soon!


	33. Kunoichi Returns

I do not own the TMNT

* * *

Chapter thirty-three: Kunoichi Returns

* * *

"_Reiko-san, the cab approaches the apartment._"

"Understood. Begin the attack."

* * *

Leo was in a sour mood.

He'd spent the evening watching these two laugh, chat and enjoy their meal. Mr. Gelding seemed far too comfortable with this Laura woman and the fact that she appeared nearly ten years his junior did not help Leo's outlook on this. As the cab stopped for a red light Leo actually found himself entertaining the thought of leaving these two alone. The thought only crossed his mind for an instant before he pushed it aside. Mr. Gelding was Samantha's father and Leo had a promise to keep.

A sleek black van pulled up beside the cab. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary until the light changed to green and suddenly the van cut the cab off and blocked it against the sidewalk. Another black van sped onto the scene and blocked the cab in from behind. In an instant Leo was on the move.

Several ninja jumped out of the van and surrounded the cab. Three of them used tong fa to shatter the windows beside the occupants. The driver was dragged out of his window shouting something in an unusual foreign language. Brandon Gelding grabbed Laura and shoved her to the floor of the cab, attempting to protect her.

By the time Leo arrived, only moments after he'd realized there was trouble, Mr. Gelding was being dragged from the cab by his feet, kicking and bellowing threats. Leo leapt into the fray near where Mr. Gelding was dropped to the ground. The foot ninja seemed prepared for him and immediately he found himself warding off several bladed attacks. Leonardo barely noticed when Mr. Gelding crawled under the cab, only paying it enough attention to change his strategy from protecting him from any attacks to keeping the ninja back until reinforcements could arrive. He tried to draw as much attention to himself as possible to protect the woman and the cab driver but Leo realized he'd have to change tactics again when he heard the woman shriek.

Had he been in any other situation Leo might have frozen when he heard a male voice cry out in pain followed by the exclamation "Brandon!" After swinging his katana wide to create some room Leo leapt on top of the cab and hurried to the other side.

Brandon Gelding stood in front of Laura's door with one arm up to defend himself. His other arm was cradled to his stomach and the sleeve of his jacket slowly staining with blood. "Back off!" He thundered in a voice well used to both shouting, and being heard.

There was something about this scene that seemed off to Leo, but he didn't question it as he leapt down between Samantha's father and the ninja. "You heard the man, back off."

* * *

Raph and Donatello sped through the streets as quickly as they could. The battle shell was hindered by the occasional traffic as they rushed into unfamiliar territory. They weren't used to the nicer parts of New York, but Leo had sent out an alert and they would be there.

They were darting through traffic against a red light when Donnie's shell cell went off. Raph grabbed it and answered gruffly, "What?"

"_Dude, bro we got problems, serious problems._" Mikey hastily informed him.

"Yeah, I know, we're drivin' as fast as we can." Raph snapped.

"_You mean Don picked something up on the cameras_?"

Trying to ignore the sick feeling in his stomach that sometimes came up when Mikey wasn't joking he asked slowly as his patience would allow, "What cameras?"

* * *

Mrs. Gelding glanced through the peephole and smiled as she recognized a familiar face. Opening the door she greeted, "Mrs. Peters! I honestly didn't expect to see you again! How are you?"

Reiko smiled sweetly. "I wasn't expecting to return. May I come in? It would seem that I have some new information for you."

Quickly Patricia stepped back to allow the woman inside. "Then by all means, do come inside!" Maintaining her friendly expression, Reiko entered the apartment, merely giving the space a cursory glance of polite curiosity while Mrs. Gelding closed the door and offered. "Can I get you something to drink? Coffee? Tea?"

"Tea would be welcome, thank you." Reiko nodded. She sat down in one of the chairs in the living room and half-heartedly listened as Mrs. Gelding made light conversation from the kitchenette about the weather. It amused her to see the woman making such frail attempts at trying to be polite when both her hands and her voice shook with excitement. Agreeing about the increase of humidity as of late, Reiko patted her hair, just above the fine jade comb.

* * *

DUN Dun dun! Please review!


	34. Instincts

I do not own the TMNT

I'll also explain why nobody is interfering or calling the police about the ninja attack in this neighborhood in a later chapter.

* * *

Chapter thirty-four; Instincts

* * *

Trying to fight of swarms of foot ninja had been hard enough alone. Although he was a better, more skilled fighter it was still hard, trying to defend a couple of civilians and locate the third was more than Leo could handle alone.

Fortunately Mr. Gelding wasn't afraid to defend himself. He'd gotten a tire iron from somewhere in the cab and was using it to block any attacks that slipped past Leonardo's defense. In the cab Laura was using an ice scraper to thwack at anyone trying to get in the undefended windows and if Leo was honest with himself it would have been a nearly impossible job if these two acted like normal civilians under attack.

Then again, the foot clan didn't generally attack normal civilians.

An engine roared over the sounds of battle and the Battle Shell came careening around a corner and sped directly at the mass of black clad ninja. The ninja moved to avoid becoming shadow road kill and the Battle Shell's tires screeched as they brought the large vehicle to a stop, but not before knocking the van blocking the cab out of the way. While the ninja were still scattered Raph jumped out of the passenger side door and ran over to Leo, sais drawn.

"We gotta get outta here!" He shouted, "Mike says there's ninja at the apartment!"

"My apartment?" Mr. Gelding demanded.

Inside the cab Laura gasped and clasped her hand over her mouth. "Oh no, Patty!"

Leo glanced back at them, not sure what to say. He was rescued from any response when the enemy ninja finally regrouped and prepared to attack again.

* * *

The cups rattled slightly as Mrs. Gelding put the tray down but none of the tea spilled. "There you go. I hope you like it." She said as she sat across the coffee table from 'Mrs. Peters'.

Reiko smiled as she lifted her cup and inhaled the steam. The scent was terrible, but she continued to act the part of the good guest. "I love the smell of fresh brewed tea, it calms me." She announced, sipping the liquid. The leaves had been old and the taste was much too strong, but she smiled all the same. After 'indulging' herself Reiko put the cup down and made a more serious expression. "I suppose I've kept you waiting too long?" She asked.

"Not at all!" Mrs. Gelding objected, as if the grey in her brown hair and the creases next to her eyes had been there since before her daughter had gone missing.

"I am sorry." Reiko lied. "But I have given you an untruth."

Mrs. Gelding frowned, deepening the lines along her mouth that all too soon would become permanent as well. "What do you mean?" She asked.

"When I told you that my children had found the wallet near our home; that was an untruth."

Somewhere deep in her mind Mrs. Gelding's instincts kicked to life. They told her to grab Travis and run now. "How so?"

Calmly, conversationally, Reiko lifted her tea and sipped it before speaking again. "You see Mrs. Gelding, I've only ever had one child, and she was killed a few months back. Wasn't even mine really."

Call Brandon, get Travis, RUN! "I'm sorry, I still don't understand." Patricia tried to smooth the hairs rising on the back of her neck. NOW!

"It was sad really, she was such a pretty thing. Long brown hair, lovely brown eyes. And in her uniform she almost looked like a doll." Reiko took another sip of tea.

Pat stood to her feet. One part of her mind still screamed for her to leave, but another part of her mind began thinking much less passive action. "What do you want?" She demanded.

"Hmm?" Looking up from her cup Reiko pretended not to have heard. "Oh, ah yes." She placed the cup on the table again and stood herself. "You see Mrs. Gelding, I want a great deal. And in order to get it-" The sound of metal dragging over metal rang through the apartment. "I need you, and preferably your son." Calmly Reiko held her tanto out so that the tip rested just below Mrs. Gelding's jaw.

* * *

It was called a fight or flight reaction. Samantha had learned about it in an interesting book she'd done a report on some time ago. The fight or flight reaction prepped the body for immediate action but it wasn't always logical about when it kicked in.

Take now for instance, she was simply reading financial statements and payment records. But as things started to fall into place Samantha felt her pulse pick up, her skin felt clammy with sweat and her foot tapped a tarantella beat as she tried to burn off some of the adrenalin rushing through her system. There was nothing she could do, but that didn't stop her brain from telling her body to get ready.

Numbers, big numbers, were shifted around and moved from one place to another. These places had names, big names. Names like politicians, city officials, big business owners, small business owners. It didn't take much to figure out that the numbers were cash, coming in and going out of someplace big, huge even. Very likely this cash was in the form of payoffs and bribery; things that people like that judge shouldn't be taking. Unfortunately every time Sam thought she was getting close to some real answers the text shifted to some kind of oriental writing.

She'd gotten to the point where she could recognize certain characters when they repeated and there was one set that seemed to appear more than the others. After reading some more figures and using a scrap of paper to keep track of some of the different characters she was pretty sure that this particular set was the person in charge. This set of characters was what Travis would have called the 'big boss' and probably the person or group who would stand to lose the most from the information on this disk.

For the most part the disk contained just numbers, names or companies and the foreign characters, but there was one other symbol. The symbol was that of a red, three clawed foot; the same symbols on the uniforms of the Foot ninja. Disturbingly enough accounts or names would follow for a little while but at some point this symbol would appear and the account would end.

* * *

Sam's getting an eyeful from those files, any guesses as to what this 'series of characters' translates too? Give you a hint; it's a name.

Review please!


	35. Parental Dilemma

I do not own the TMNT

* * *

Chapter thirty-five; Parental Dilemma

* * *

"He's out, with his father." Patricia managed to say this clearly and without her voice shaking.

'Mrs. Peters' sneered. "Do not attempt to fool me woman. I know your husband is out tonight, Laura I believe was the name. Tell me where your son is and things will not get uglier than they must."

Patricia felt herself start to shake. Honestly, she had every reason to fear the woman in front of her. She had a long, bladed weapon currently held to Pat's throat and she knew far too much about the Gelding's personal affairs. This woman had also had in her possession a wallet last seen in Samantha's hands and heavily insinuated her involvement in the kidnapping. Already Patricia was sure she'd lost one child to this devil, she would lose no more.

Mrs. Gelding's continued silence annoyed Reiko. "If you do not tell me, I will simply seek him out in my own time; you can make things much simpler."

Taking a deep breath, Patricia closed her eyes and sent up a prayer for her son's protection, then turned and ran for the kitchen.

A man dressed completely in black stopped her. Pat had no idea how he'd gotten in there, but here he was, in the Gelding's home with a long sword in his hand and a threat in his stance.

The last thing Patricia remembered was reaching for the rosary in her pocket before something clouted her on the back of the skull and there was no more.

* * *

Guarding the taxi was easier with Raph there to help, but with ninja pressing in and Mr. Gelding bleeding heavily they didn't have the time –or the numbers- to beat the enemy forces back.

"Raph! Get him out of here!" Leo ordered.

"Laura first!" Mr. Gelding contradicted.

"You're hurt; you need to get to safety!" Leo insisted. It was true, Mr. Gelding still cradled his arm to his stomach, his own blood slowly seeping down his pants and the hand he gripped the tire iron with didn't look to good either.

"Laura first!" Brandon swung his make-shift weapon fiercely to emphasize his point. "Protect her first!"

Again Leo sensed that something was strange about the situation, but he again shoved it aside. "Fine, Raph!"

"On it!" Raphael had been protecting the opposite side of the car, at his brother's orders Raph risked a quick glance over his shoulder. "Can ya get out without help?" He asked rapidly before stabbing out with his sais. The left one caught a katana and Raph quickly yanked it out of the ninja's hands and let it clatter to the ground.

Laura climbed out of the window behind Raph, trying to hurry but hampered by the semi-formal dress she wore. She tried to brace her hands against the roof to lift herself out but found the top of the taxi was already occupied by a black ninja. Gasping in surprise she lost her grip and fell gracelessly to the ground just in time to avoid having her skull cleaved in two by the ninja's ninjaken. The ninja pulled his weapon free and leapt down towards her, only to be knocked aside in mid-air by a well placed kick from the turtle protector.

Before Laura could figure out what to do next she found herself being hauled to her feet. "Grab my shell and stay close!" The turtle ordered. "And don't let go for anything!" Doing as she was told, Laura was soon led more or less safely through the mass of black warriors. The turtle's orders to hold on resulted in her getting jerked around and nearly losing her balance several times as the turtle blocked attacks meant for her, but soon she found herself being lifted into a highly armored vehicle and pointed towards a seat.

It wasn't long after Raph managed to pull the door of the battle shell shut behind him with the woman inside and the ninja outside that Donnie swung into the driver's side door and slammed it shut behind him. "Didja find the driver?" Raph asked. Donatello nodded the affirmative and paused a moment before sadly shaking his head; signaling that the driver was beyond help.

Moments later three bangs sounded on the rear door. Raph jumped up, sais drawn and threw open the door. Leo quickly shoved Mr. Gelding inside for Donnie to grab and drag in while both he and Raph fought the ninja back so the door could be closed securely. The attacking foot ninja were muted to a sound similar to hail on the outside of the vehicle while Donatello quickly checked the man over. Laura slid to the floor and sat so that the injured man could rest his head in her lap, unmindful of the blood seeping from a fresh cut that seemed to be directly over his left eye.

"He needs a hospital." Donnie announced after a quick inspection before adding quickly, "And Leo drives!"

* * *

Disabling an unarmed woman was far too easy. Rather boring actually.

Reiko frowned as she watched Patricia Gelding be carried from the apartment by two ninja. If getting the Disk back was as easy as this then her predecessor was even more incompetent than she had originally thought.

But there was further business to conclude.

Turning towards the hallway leading to the apartment's three bedrooms Reiko considered for only a moment before choosing one and entering it.

Now to find the boy.

* * *

Don't look under the bed!

Trust me, it's a mess. Please review!


	36. A Taste of Hate

I do not own the TMNT

* * *

Chapter thirty-six; A taste of hate.

* * *

Since April and Casey were out looking the store over again -and likey out to dinner as well- and the turtles were out on one of their mystery errands the lair was occupied only by Sam and Splinter. Hopefully with Splinter meditating Sam could get some research done.

In Donnie's lab Sam quickly sat down at his regular computer with her notes from the Disk. Sam felt around the keyboard until she found a switch that changed the keys from the white standard Roman lettering to the smaller symbols in red. She'd noticed these symbols a few days ago and while looking around the lab for something to translate the Disk with she'd re-encountered this keyboard. Upon further investigation had found the characters to be identical to the ones from the Disk. Now she planned to use this interesting keyboard to translate some of the names.

After pressing a random key to take the computer out of the screen saver Sam encountered a password screen. She frowned and considered. Sam had a vague idea of how many characters the password had and the rest was up to guesswork. Taking a wild guess she entered a few tries. After the third attempt a message popped up telling Mikey to get permission before getting on this computer.

Sam sat back in the computer chair and considered for several minutes, her eyes slipping over different items on the computer desk. They finally came to rest on an item that seemed a little out of place on the desk. It was a worn chess piece that used to be white but had aged and been rubbed to a dingy yellow. Leaning forward in the chair Sam picked up the rook and considered it.

She tried 'checkmate' in the computer and was rejected. Considering further she tried to think about what part of chess would appeal to Donnie.

He loved science, but what did science have to do with chess? Donatello was also a ninja, but Sam didn't think he considered himself a warrior. Don seemed to be more the type to fight only to protect his brothers. Sam understood this; she could still see Travis climbing into the battle shell fleeing the foot clan's soldiers. In her heart Sam knew she would do anything to protect him, she rather die than see any harm come to her brother.

And there inlaid the answer.

Sam again let her fingers move over the keyboard.

C-A-S-T-L-I-N-G

Access granted.

Quickly Sam found the icon for the internet and used the search engine to discover what language the characters were. When she saw that the characters were Japanese Kanji Sam felt more than a little foolish, but she didn't let that slow her down. She found a search engine and flipped the switch on the keyboard. Carefully Sam typed in the set that she had traced onto her notes and waited for the search to complete.

The first few sites were completely in Japanese, useless to Sam, but after scrolling down Sam found what she was looking for and quickly clicked on the link. It took her to an article with the English on one side and the Japanese on the other. She scanned the page until the meaning of the kanji became painfully clear. Where the series of characters she was looking for appeared on one side, Oroku Saki appeared on the other side.

"No." Sam looked over the articles again, reaffirming her conclusion before she shoved away from the computer desk. "No." Angrily, Samantha stormed out of the lab and through the lair to her room. The kidnapping, the disk, the lab, what happened to her, what happened to Travis, the death of that woman and everything else that had happened. All of it had been caused by that one man.

A man that Samantha had trusted, admired, emulated. He'd been the cause of all of this!

Standing in her room, fists clenched, teeth grinding, Sam fought against the anger, disgust and loathing she felt coursing through her blood. There had been signs; the way the turtles reacted at the sound of his name, the strange looks she'd been given at different times talking about him, the foot clan, business. But she had missed them all.

She wanted, needed to act. One moment all her anger and hatred solidified and all she could think of was that man sitting comfortably in his tower. The next moment she could only blame herself. Water dripped onto her feet before Sam even realized she was crying. Inside her mind she could hear herself screaming, anger, rage, disgust, revulsion; there was too much of it to contain. It was all his fault… and yet it was all her fault.

"…I… I…" Words, sounds, feelings fought to be voiced, but words did not suffice. Snarling at her own weaknesses Samantha sat on the bed, the weight of her own emotions bent her over like an old woman. She shoved her hands into her hair and pulled, trying to use the pain to focus her thoughts. "…fault… hate… naive…"

"Child." Like violent winds on the unmoving surface of a smooth stone Sam felt the solidity of Master Splinter's calm though her raging emotions.

Sam managed to drag her hands over her face to try and dry her face. Master Splinter handed her a damp cloth and Sam and she used it to wash the salt water from her face. "Th-thanks." She sounded like she'd just had a temper tantrum, she felt like she was still screaming.

"I believe it is time to begin training you in self defense." Master Splinter announced.

This statement startled her, "What, now?" She asked.

The old rat nodded. Although Sam couldn't quite place the change she could see that he was not acting as the caring father, the kind friend or the gracious host. There was something about his stance that called for obedience. "Yes, now." He turned and moved out of the room, "Join me in the dojo as soon as you have cleaned up."

* * *

Yep; Sam's in the middle of an emotional crisis and Master Splinter says it's time for training. That's not bad writing, (I hope) it's just Master Splinter being Master Splinter; and that old nezumi always seems to have some trick up his sleeves.

We will be returning to the action in the next chapter.

Please review.


	37. Road Block

I do not own the TMNT

* * *

Chapter thirty seven; Roadblock

* * *

"Dudes, this is totally uncool… could you maybe just put the lady down and we can call it a night?" Mrs. Gelding was promptly thrown over one of the ninja's shoulders while the other drew his ninjaken. "Or not." Mikey mumbled.

He'd tried to wait for backup before storming the apartment in what would hopefully be all his heroic glory but when he'd seen Mrs. Gelding being carried unconscious from the building the option of waiting had kind of become null and void. So now he stood between the ninja and the shiny black van with his chucks at the ready wondering where his brothers were.

The second ninja ran forward to attack, Mikey easily deflected his poor attack and moved in time to block a surprise attack from a ninja who had been in the van the entire time. "Ha! Thought you got me! You're going to have to try harder than that to beat the Battle Nexus-"

Dozens of ninja seemed to appear from nowhere, several jumping out of the van, some running into the alley from the streets, most jumping from the rooftops and a few actually climbing out of windows. Mikey blinked. "Aw Shell."

* * *

"Road block." Leo announced.

In the back Donnie looked up from his treatment of Mr. Gelding. "How bad?"

"Police cars across the entire street, looks like SWAT team too."

Quickly Don instructed both Raph and Laura to apply pressure to different wounds. The worst of it looked like a stab to the gut that might have gone through his arm first. There was also that nasty gash over his eye and his 'good' arm had taken a hit as well. While none of them had escaped the ambush unscathed –even Laura sported a few minor cuts- Mr. Gelding had taken a beating in the short time he'd been out from under Leo's protection.

After assuring his patient was under the best temporary care possible Donnie moved to one of the computers mounted on the walls of the battle shell and did some quick searching. "Looks like we're blocked in on all sides… even the alleys are covered." He announced. "Somebody must have filed a false bomb report or threat."

Leo frowned as he considered his options. "Ram 'em! This thing can take them!" Raph grunted, not even bothering to see how heavy the road block might be."

"I might be able to find an alternate route or a hiding place, but that would take time." Donnie reported.

Laura sat with her back to Leo. She kept her hands pressed firmly over the gash on his face and whispered something to him from time to time as she tried her best not to cry. Although he'd lost consciousness several blocks back she continued to do her best to comfort him. After Donnie had spoken she looked over her shoulder. "Please, just –whatever's fastest." Leo nodded and shifted the battle shell into gear.

"Hang on to something." He warned before flooring the accelerator.

The passengers of the vehicle lurched slightly as the battle shell picked up speed. Donnie quickly pulled Laura off the floor and into one of the seats. After taking a moment to make sure she was strapped in correctly Both Donnie and Raph did their best to brace Mr. Gelding and themselves on the floor.

There was a brief moment where the only sound was the battle shell's engine, then the vehicle shook and rocked as it struck something. Metal scraped over the outside of the vehicle and a police siren went off to one side. Once the jarring had stopped the battle shell fishtailed slightly before gaining traction and speeding forward once again.

Leo kept his foot to the accelerator as he called back. "Okay, we're through, but we're being followed. When we get to the hospital this is going to have to be fast."

* * *

Wood splintered as the dresser was literally torn apart. Metal cracked as doors were kicked off of their hinges. "Come out little boy. We'll take you to your mother. I have no reason to harm you if you come out now." Reiko called as the ninja tore the apartment to pieces.

The fridge was pushed over. Air vents were inspected and furniture was destroyed. Records shattered on the floor as they were shoved aside and the shelving behind checked for hidden compartments or doors. Travis's room was emptied and gutted, as was Samantha's old room and the master bedroom.

Still, the boy could not be found.

* * *

The battle shell drove into the eaves of the emergency lane at St. Anthony's hospital. The back doors were pushed open so that Raph and Donnie could climb out carrying Mr. Gelding between them. They were quickly followed by Laura who ran past them and darted through a set of automatic doors into the emergency room. The turtles quickly placed the man near the doors and hurried back to the battle shell.

Just as the assault vehicle pulled out of sight Laura led two of the hospital employees with a stretcher out to where Brandon Gelding lay, still bleeding heavily from numerous wounds.

Meanwhile Donnie pulled out his shell cell and dialed for Mikey. He heard the phone connect, and ring…and ring.

"He's not answering." Donnie announced.


	38. Missing Persons

I do not own the TMNT

Not too happy with some parts of the chapter, but had to cut some non-essential narrating to keep the pace going.

* * *

Chapter thirty-eight; Missing Persons

* * *

The phone rang.

All through the apartment ninja froze in their search as they listened. Reiko stood next to the only telephone not currently spit open and lying in pieces as it rang twice, three times, four. She drew her tanto; remaining patient during the sixth, seventh and eighth ring before the machine beeped and an automated voice told the caller to leave a message and the number where they could be reached before once again beeping.

"_Hello, Pat? Are you there? Please pick up, it's Laura. I'm at Saint Anthony's hospital and Brandon doesn't look too good. Please, it's very important that you and Travis get out of there! There's something going on an_- crunch-"

Reiko calmly withdrew her tanto from the machine. Looking up she glanced at the ninja with annoyance. "What are you waiting for? Find the boy!" The ninja immediately resuming their utter destruction of the apartment.

Although she already had the mother, she wanted the boy. Children were always better for 'negotiating' with than adults and the turtle clan had already shown an affinity for the boy. However; if the Gelding man had been taken to the hospital already then the distraction was no longer in effect and from the sound of it that Laura woman knew that something would be happening at the apartment.

After watching the last of the apartment being completely torn apart Reiko was forced to give up her hopes for finding the boy. The turtles would arrive soon and she did not want a strong confrontation; merely a clue to lead the mutants to where they could find the mother.

Provided they had the Disk of course.

Releasing her breath in a frustrated sigh Reiko ordered for the ninja to leave. As they did so, vanishing as ninja should, Reiko looked around the apartment for a suitable location. She eventually settled on the door to the girl's room, it would be fitting. Withdrawing a shurike from her belt, Reiko used it to secure a paper to the door. She quickly wrote down a note and left the apartment.

As she walked through the halls of the building and out the main entrance Reiko smirked slightly to herself. They may not have the boy, but the woman would work well enough; and now Reiko knew where to find the father.

It seemed to her that the situation was in her definite advantage.

* * *

By the time the battle shell pulled into the alley beside the apartment building all foot ninja were gone.

Leo, Raph and Donnie left the vehicle cautiously and examined the alleyway around them. It was clear that there had been a fight; the dumpster was completely overturned, a broken katana lay half-hidden under some garbage and a nunchuck hung from the light over the side entrance. Raph leapt on the bottom of the dumpster to get the height he needed to jump up and grab the nunchuck. He landed on the dumpster and looked closer at the discarded weapon, flinching when he recognized Mikey's worn orange wrappings.

"What do you think happened here?" Donnie asked.

Leo frowned as Raph solemnly handed him the weapon. "I'm not sure bu-"

All three turtles nearly jumped out of their shells when the dumpster Raph crouched on suddenly banged three times. After leaping down from his perch Raph exchanged looks with his brothers and quickly hurried to tip the container. The metal dumpster crashed and banged in a manner unbecoming ninja, but crouched on the lids of the dumpster was a sheepish giant turtle. "Hey! Anyone seen Chuck 2, the sequel?" Leo grinned despite himself and helped his brother to his feet.

Raph, clearly relieved at finding his brother intact –minus a few cuts and bruises- showed his happiness in the only way he ever did. He punched Mikey in the arm, "Knucklehead, what were ya thinkin' lettin' a buncha foot flunkies trash ya like that?"

"Funny Raph." Mikey's agreement came with his rapidly fading embarrassment, "But seriously dudes, they got Sam's mom, I don't know if they found Travis or not."

"Then we'd better hurry." Leo quickly led the way to the fire escape and started climbing it rapidly to the floor with the Gelding's apartment. His brothers followed him through the hall to apartment 316. Raph pulled his sais and made to pick the lock, but he was startled to find the door wasn't locked at all.

After exchanging nervous glances the brothers drew their weapons. Raph turned the handle and pushed the door in while the others stood behind the wall waiting for an attack. Instead of stepping inside Leo stood in the doorway looking stunned. "Whoa."

Raph blinked, his sais lowering slightly. "Did Leo just say 'whoa'?" He asked. Donnie and Mikey nodded. All three of them moved so that they could see what Leo saw.

"Whoa." They chorused, followed by a lone "dude" from Mikey.

The apartment was beyond trashed. Furniture was destroyed, the carpeting and flooring ripped up, general debris that used to speak silent volumes of the family now lay shattered and destroyed. "This… this isn't normally what ninja leave behind." Donnie managed.

"No, it isn't." Leo replied. Finally he stepped forward over the threshold. His brothers followed him and the four of them fanned out and checked the entire apartment for any ninja waiting in ambush before gathering in what used to be the living room. Mikey looked uncharacteristically angry. Donnie looked appalled and Raph was angrily kicking rubble out of his way as he moved.

Without a word Leo handed the paper he'd found pinned to Samantha's bedroom door to his brothers. Donnie read it through, frowning deeply before passing it to Raph, who barely managed to keep his temper and not destroy the note before handing it to Mikey.

"They plan to leverage Sam's mom for the Disk. Probably a trap as well." Leo summed the note up. "Do we follow this lead or not."

Donnie nodded. Raph growled, "Of course we do! We go over there and-"

"No." Leo, Donnie and Raph all stared at Mikey, who was still focusing on the note.

"Why the shell not?" Raph demanded.

Mikey looked up from the note. "The foot have Sam's mom and her dad is in the hospital." He said, restating the facts, "But where's Travis?"

"Maybe he wasn't here tonight and the foot ninja haven't found him." Raph grumbled as always, but his heart didn't seem to be in it.

"He came home from school…" Leo said.

"…And he never left." Mikey finished. "Unless the foot took him and didn't tell us he'd still here, and considering how totally trashed this place is, they didn't find him.

Donnie nodded. He took his staff and started tapping against the walls of the apartment, systematically going over every foot of the apartment. After traveling through the kitchenette, stepping over the toppled fridge to tap the walls behind it, he moved through the hall and into first Travis's room, then Sam's and finally the master bedroom. He inspected all the closets, even the cabinet under the sink in the bathroom. Finally he returned to the living room where his brothers waited. "Nothing." He reported.

Leo looked around, trying to think of something, anything. "Could he have slipped out when Mikey wasn't watching?" He asked.

"Nuh-uh." Mikey insisted, "Only if he snuck past an army of ninja."

"Maybe the family has a hiding place inside the building we don't know about." Raph suggested.

Frustrated, Leo found himself glaring at the floor, "And there's only one person we can ask where that might be." He concluded.

* * *

Please review


	39. Ups and Downs

I do not own the TMNT

* * *

Chapter thirty-nine: Ups and Downs

* * *

Sam stared at the punching bag. She could now understand why Raph spent so much of his time beating the thing; she was kind of annoyed with it now too.

"Very good Samantha. It takes some many weeks to learn how to focus their strength in such a manner." Master Splinter complimented.

"Huh?" Samantha looked at him in surprise. She had worked on that stupid bag until she was ready to drop and the bag had hardly done more than spin on its chain. Her arms had that familiar not-quite-shaking feeling that she used to get in her legs after a good track practice. Her skin was covered in a fine coat of sweat and other than a lingering sense of bitterness towards that stupid bag she felt…

Calm.

The storm of emotions that had been ready to overwhelm her before was gone; all that was left in its place was the faint traces of the rush she used to get from an early morning run. She was almost shocked to discover that her surprised expression was slightly skewed by a smile. "Thank you." She said.

Master Splinter continued to stand with the same air of authority he'd held during the entire training session, but his eyes softened and he nodded, acknowledging the deeper cause of Sam's gratitude.

The peaceful moment was broken when a mildly annoying ringing came from his robe. The old rat looked startled but he quickly regained his composure before reaching into his robe and withdrawing one of Donatello's shell cells. He opened the device and stared at the buttons for a moment before selecting one of them and answering the call with a hesitant, "Hello?"

Sam covered her amusement by stretching out her shoulder muscles and cooling down from her workout. All she heard from the call was the occasional "Yes… I see…hmm…" It seemed like the call had hardly begun before Sam felt Splinter's hand on her shoulder. She looked at him and was surprised to discover he was holding out the shell cell and there was a strange look in his eyes she couldn't quite place.

Slowly Sam took the phone and held it up to her ear. "Hello?"

"_Sam, it's Leo. I have some bad news_…"

He hesitated. Sam frowned, Leo wasn't the type to hesitate if it was important and his tone didn't say he was trying to beat around the bush. He sounded like he wanted to get to the point, but that pause dragged on. "What news?"

"_I, that is we… no, I… Sam we've been watching your family's apartment for a while now…actively, not just on the cameras_…" Still that hesitancy, only this time Sam needed those moments to catch up with what they were saying. Actively watching her apartment? That would explain their absences –but what about when all of them went missing? Like now?

"_We had to because the Foot clan has been physically present lately… one of the ninja actually went into your apartment… and they've tried to grab Travis before…"_ Samantha's hand drifted to her mouth, covering her shock. Ninja… in her family's apartment… still after Travis… Why had nobody told her? "_We didn't want to worry you while you were healing_." Didn't want to worry her? Leonardo especially knew she was still having nightmares from not knowing!

"…_ransacked the apartment while another division distracted your father and_…" By now Samantha was pressing her hand over her nostrils as well, trying to force herself to control her breathing. "…_I'm sorry we couldn't stop them Sam but we think Travis is still here…_" This could have been avoided! Why didn't they tell me?!

"…_Is there any place he would have gone? A hiding spot or something?_" If Travis was still in the apartment after something like that Sam knew exactly where he would go, he often went there if strangers he didn't like came to the apartment.

"Um…" Her head was swimming, anger, hurt, fear, and many others swirled into the space she had just managed to clear. A warm, furred hand on her shoulder helped Sam to focus. She took a deep breath to steady her voice. "Yes, Daddy –I mean- Dad gave us a safe zone to hide in if the house was broken into. Travis probably went up there."

"_Where is it_?" He sounded relieved; in the background Sam could hear Mikey cheering.

Although she was on the phone Sam shook her head. "I can't really explain it from here. It locks and I'm not sure your fingers could fit in the latch." She looked at her own hands, mentally picturing the size of Leo's hands next to her own. "Can you send someone to pick me up?"

There was muffled conversation on the other end before Leo answered; "_We'll be there in ten minutes_." and hung up.

Samantha closed the shell cell and handed it back to Master Splinter. He tucked it away in his robe while Sam rubbed at the moisture trying to form in her eyes. Her fingers bore imprints of the phone's casing from holding it so tightly. "Master Splinter?" She asked.

"Yes my child?" He answered his voice once again the soft confidant.

"I really, _really_ need a hug right now."

Of course Master Splinter was only more than willing to help.

* * *

Please leave a review.


	40. Up the Rabbit Hole

I do not own the TMNT

* * *

Chapter forty; Up the rabbit hole

* * *

By the time Leo came down the stone elevator Samantha had collected herself and was waiting. She was still mad, but that would have to wait until she was sure Travis was safe.

After grabbing some things Donnie had requested from his lab they hurried to the garage. Raph drove them back to the apartment and they quickly jumped out of the battle shell. Although Sam remained calm it was clear to both turtles that she was upset and hiding it, but it had nearly been a half hour since the phone call had ended and time was of the essence if they were going to find Travis and come up with a plan in regards to Mrs. Gelding.

Sam didn't complain this time when Leo picked her up, but memories of the last fire escape climb had her working very hard not to look at Raphael, thus making her miss the strange look Raph sent in his brother's direction.

Once again Sam found herself standing up after being carried up a fire escape, only this time it wasn't a strange place, it was her home. She didn't wait for Leo to lead the way as she hurried to her family's apartment. Samantha heard Leo call a warning to her but didn't slow as she entered apartment 316.

It didn't look like her home. She paused in shock at the sight of everything she had grown up with and in destroyed. The couch had been de-upholstered, the material shredded and the frame destroyed. The coffee table was everywhere and scattered amongst other possessions were pieces of the records Travis had loved so much. It was almost physically painful to see, but there were more important matters at hand.

Barely had Leo and Raph had time to catch up with Sam than she braced herself and stepped onto a pile of rubble that was painfully familiar. She strode through the ruins to the hallway. The turtles hurried to follow her as she stepped into Travis's room and looked around. Like the other bedrooms the furniture was destroyed, the springs from the mattress lay all over the place on or over torn clothing and cracked video games. In one corner lay half of his closet door, the other half didn't appear to be in the room.

"Somebody w-wanted to send a strong message." Sam noted, just the faintest shake in her voice.

"Yeah." Raph agreed.

Sam stepped over to the closet and started digging rubble and junk out of it. Once the floor in the closet was mostly clean Sam looked over to the turtles. "Could someone give me a boost? I need to reach the ceiling.

Although normally muscle work was left to Raph, Leo once again overruled this norm and was the one to step into the closet and kneel down next to Sam. He cupped his hands and Sam stepped up. When she nodded that she was ready Leo stood, lifting her as he did. Sam balanced herself with her hands on the walls until she was high enough to step up onto Leo's shoulders. The ceiling was low enough that she had to crouch, unknowingly exposing and area usually covered by her new shell or clothing. Nobody commented; Leo kept his gaze straight forward, using his hands to brace Sam's feet while both Raph and Mikey covered their eyes. Donnie, however, was focused on what Sam was doing. He watched as she ran her fingers over the ceiling above the closet door.

"How could Travis get up there?" Donnie asked. The boy was barely four foot tall; the ceiling was a good eight feet high.

Sam smirked as her hand seemed to slide up higher than it should have. "Family secret." She said. Something clicked and the closet ceiling slid back like a sliding door. Standing up straight, Sam rose up through into the space between the third floor ceiling and the fourth story floor. Around her were support structures, plumbing and wires. Tucked behind a large metal beam was a coil of rope with knots every two feet along its length. "Travis?" Sam called.

Shuffling came from off to one side. "Sam?" Travis asked. Sam turned slightly too look at him, trying not to flinch when she saw the look of disappointment on his face. "Pat." He corrected himself, using the false name Sam had given him.

He looked so small, hiding behind a set of pipes, clutching that same ragged doll Sam had always let him cuddle when he was scared. "Travis, I need you to come with me."

Travis shook his head and backed behind the pipes, looking much younger than his nine years. "I'm only supposed to go with family." He insisted.

"Travis, your mom and dad can't come right now, and it's not safe here anymore." Sam encouraged.

"Then I'll wait for my aunt." Travis said.

"Do you remember the code word that Mo- your mom gave you?" Samantha asked. Travis nodded. "And if someone gives you this codeword it's okay to go with them?" Again the boy nodded. "Was that code word Blackstone?"

She could hear the sudden intake of air as Travis gasped. "Who told you?!" He demanded.

"Uh…" _Oops, hadn't thought of that_.

Donnie whispered. "_Tell him his aunt gave it to you!"_

"Aunt Laura told me." Sam completely missed her mistake. Beneath Sam's feet Leo moved suddenly, nearly costing Sam her balance. She also missed the brothers exchanging surprised looks and silent accusations. Sam gripped the edges of the opening and shot a glare down at the turtles that went unseen. When she looked up again Travis was watching her nervously, probably scared that she would fall.

Travis crawled a little further out of his hiding place, dragging the alf doll with him. "Is she okay?" He asked.

"Yeah, she's fine."

"And Dad?"

Sam squelched the urge to cringe. "I hope so." Finally Travis crawled over to Sam. He grabbed the rope and pushed the loose end into the closet. Sam helped him climb over the edge and further down Mikey helped him off the rope. Once Sam had climbed down from Leo's shoulders she found Travis trying to hug her around the waist despite her shell and the doll he still clutched. Samantha knelt down and hugged her brother closer to her.

"I was so scared." Travis whispered, his voice cracked badly.

"I know." Sam tried to sooth him, rubbing the back of his neck with one hand. "I know." She didn't let him go as she stood. He didn't complain about being picked up like he used to, but then again, nothing would ever be as it used to.

* * *


	41. Beginning of The End

I do not own the TMNT

* * *

Chapter Forty-one; Beginning of The End

* * *

Travis allowed himself to be picked up by the turtle girl, Pat. He held tightly to his sister's old Alf toy and Pat shifted her grip so that he could hold it more easily. Resting his head on Pat's shoulder, Travis listened as the turtle boys talked about taking him to some place called a 'layer'.

He yawned sleepily and let Pat carry him out of his trashed apartment. They stepped out into the hallway only to discover it was filled with the evil ninja. The woman who had threatened Travis and stolen his mother stood at the head of the group, her teeth gleaming like a feral cat's.

She drew a long, sharp sword and swung it hard. One of the turtles jumped in the way but was cut across the stomach and went down. The second one was just as effective. When the third and forth attacked the woman merely brushed them off before advancing on Travis and Pat. Pat spun, turning her back on the ninja woman but leaving Travis so he could see exactly what was happening as the sword swung down towards the turtle girl.

"NO! STOP!"

"Travis!" Travis jolted awake and was greeted immediately with the sight of Pat looking worried. With a faint whimper he launched himself into the girl's arms and hugged her tight. "Shhh, hey, it's okay, just a dream…" Pat assured him, once again she gently rubbed the back of his neck to sooth him. His thick brown hair was tangled from tossing and turning but she expertly managed to keep her fingers from getting caught.

After several minutes Travis calmed down enough to sit back and look around. He frowned and started to riffle through the sheets. After a minute he leaned over the edge of the bed and hung his head down far enough to look under it. "Missing something?" Pat asked.

"My sister's Alf… I had it but… where is it?" He sounded confused and reached under the bed for something.

"It was dirty. Mike said he'd try to get it clean before you woke up." Pat smirked slightly, causing a funny looking wrinkle to form over her beak, "Looks like he was missed the deadline."

Learning that the doll was safe allowed the subject to drop out of Travis's attention span. He sat up on the bed, dragging his find out from under the bed. "Huh?" In his hand he held a red fire ax, the kind found in emergency boxes with the 'In case of emergency' signs. Under a layer of dirty brown speckled with reddish brown the paint was fire-truck red and looked like it had been nowhere near a fire.

"So _that's_ where that thing got to." Pat mumbled.

Before Travis could figure out what to do with his prize the turtle with the orange mask came in through the door. "Oh… he's awake. Sorry little dude, I wanted to have this back earlier…" He grinned and held out the doll, now completely clean and smelling significantly 'Springtime Fresh'.

With a grin Travis handed the ax to Pat before jumping off the bed to accept the toy and give it a hug. After nuzzling the doll's soft fur he smiled up at the big turtle, although the toy still didn't smell of his sister, for some reason that fact to longer bothered him. "Thank you!" He said honestly, his eyes glittering with the full childish gratitude he still had not quite grown out of. "He looks much better!"

Michelangelo's own eyes seemed to reflect Travis's innocence, as well as some of his own pride. "No problem little dude. Hey, there's some hot chocolate in the kitchen if you can find it!"

Travis grinned, "I'll find it!" He boasted proudly before running past Mikey into the main part of the lair.

Samantha stood up and moved so she could see Travis running around the lair trying to find the kitchen. Mikey stiffened slightly and glanced over his shoulder at her. She'd been quiet the entire ride home. It hadn't taken long for her silence to start bothering Mike as much as when anyone around him was angry. He'd filled the silence by explaining everything that had happened over the last few weeks, in his enthusiasm to talk he'd even overlapped details she already knew. Despite his efforts Sam's only reaction had been to inspect Travis's chin after Mikey explained about the night he'd dropped out of his shirt.

To say the least Mikey was nervous about how Sam was acting. He _hated_ it when people were really mad at him and hated it even more when someone he liked was mad at his bros. Unfortunately he had no idea how to make her stop being mad. Shuffling his foot slightly, Mikey decided to start by trying to apologize. "Uh… Sammy?"

"Yeah Mike? –guh!" Mikey wrapped his arms around Sam and hugged her tightly.

"I'm sorry, please don't be mad!" Okay, so it wasn't the most mature of apologies, but it worked on Raphie! …Or at least it had when they were six.

"Um…" Sam mumbled, partially distracted by trying not to stab Mikey with the ax in her hand and partially by the fact that he had very nearly knocked her off balance. "Mad? Why would I be mad at you?"

When Mikey released her Sam had to squelch the urge to gasp for breath. "For keeping secrets." Mikey simpered, his eyes coming out in full pathetic blue, "I'm really sorry Sam! So are the guys."

Sam managed the first smile anyone had seen on her in what seemed like days. "I'm not mad at you Mikey, well… maybe a little, but you don't need to worry about it."

"Really?" Mikey asked.

Sam nodded. "Really-he!" She grunted as she was again wrapped up in a strong-armed hug.

"Good." Mikey said. Unfortunately he missed the sad look that had drifted back over Sam's face.

* * *

Leo stood on the roof of the hospital, he was alert to his surroundings and kept an eye on the room across a small garden from his perch where Samantha and Travis's aunt held a similar vigil over her brother. While keeping one eye on the room and another eye on his surroundings Leo held a shell cell to the side of his head and quietly discussed with Master Splinter the contents of the note they'd found in the apartment.

Specifically the part about a daylight trade for Mrs. Gelding's life.


	42. Morning Light

I do not own the TMNT

If you missed it, I added a little part at the end of the last chapter so you might want to re-read it if you don't remember what Leo's up to.

* * *

Chapter Forty-two; Morning light

* * *

Most of the assistants or techs had gone home, leaving the lab empty and dimly lit. All lights were off and most of the equipment had been left in sleep mode until needed in the morning.

Of course; none of this applied to Stockman's personal lab. He had been spending a great deal of his free time lately on a personal project of his and he needed to get it done before Reiko provided the last thing he needed for his next plan. She would distract the ninja turtles and Stockman… Stockman had other plans.

On the monitor of his largest computers was displayed a map, complete with the exact path the mousers had traveled before losing the signal of the tracking device. On the map were several key locations; locations where the tracking signal and nearby heat signatures had been closest to the mousers. There were also recorded locations when four new heat signatures had arrived. Although only a few of the many mousers he had sent out had returned he was able to use their combined recorded information to estimate the mutant's hidden nest. By entering this information into another computer –such as that on another machine- he could send anything he liked to that location.

And the machine he had in mind was just hours from completion. When Reiko had the turtles busy exchanging the disk for the woman Stockman would finally, _finally_ be getting his little project back.

* * *

In the early hours of the morning, Reiko calmly fingered through a small but varied collection of vials and packets. After a moment she selected a small bottle and removed it from the selection.

She placed the bottle on a towel spread over her bunk and proceeded to arrange her hair into a delicate coif which require support to be maintained throughout the day. Once that was finished Reiko opened the bottle and selected a simple comb with only two long teeth. First one, then the other was slowly dipped into the bottle, then allowed to dry in the air. Once the finish on the teeth had stopped glistening with the wet Reiko carefully slid the comb into her hair; securing the coif and arming herself in one motion.

Few of the other kunoichi in the women's quarters bothered to look up while Reiko did this, some performed similar routines as they prepared themselves for their daily chores and schedules.

The bottle was replaced in the collection before Reiko carefully applied a touch of make-up and slipped into a simple pantsuit that would suit her needs for the day.

Finally, Reiko picked up a small purse and made sure it held all the necessities for the day. She had a great deal to do that day in preparation for tomorrow's events with the turtles, but first she had to visit a poor man in the hospital.

* * *

"YEAH!"

"WHOO-HOO!"

Sam watched calmly from the kitchen table as her little brother ran around the lair in an active game of follow the leader with Mikey. The turtle was having a blast having a playmate with as much energy as he had and Travis was thrilled to be allowed to do things like jump on the couch and climb the fire escape without getting in trouble.

Despite the fact that she knew full well that Mikey would have to be severely maimed before he allowed anything to happen to Travis, Samantha couldn't help but keep an eye on the two of them. Partially it was the desire to never lose sight of her brother again; mostly it was because she was overprotective.

Also at the kitchen table were Raph and Don. Despite the pancakes Mikey had made Raph sat with a bowl of cereal, glaring at it enough to curdle the milk as he waited for morning to pass. Donatello was finishing his fourth –fifth?- cup of coffee while he read through something he had printed up the night before. Eventually Raph growled something that was either "goin' back ta bed" or "Growin' the bath a bit" before grabbing his bowl and shuffling off to the sink.

A few minutes passed while Mikey helped Travis to jump to the higher levels of the lair. Sam finished her orange juice before turning slightly to see what Donatello was reading. "Financial records?" She asked, "Those aren't the ones from the disk are they?"

Donnie looked up in surprise. "You're speaking to me?"

Samantha gave him a quizzical stare, "Why not? You don't think I'm mad at you, do you?"

The purple masked turtle looked down at the papers again, "After keeping all that from you, how could you not be?"

Before replying Sam grabbed the papers from Donnie and used a pencil she found on the floor to start writing on the back of the printouts. "I told Mike, I'm telling you; yes, I am mad…but not at you… not really."

"Really?" Don was skeptical, not only did he think she had a right to be angry, but she still sounded a little ticked.

"Really." Sam confirmed. She finished jotting down her conclusions from what she had read in the financial records the night before and passed them back to Donnie.

Still not convinced, Don turned to the notes, "If you say so…" He mumbled before sipping his coffee while reading what Sam had written. Suddenly he jerked and slapped his hand over his mouth to keep from doing an actual spit-take. The hand he clapped over his mouth was the same one with the coffee mug, causing lukewarm coffee to splatter all over his front and down into his lap. Sam jumped up and hurried to the kitchen to grab a towel while Travis and Mikey stopped their fun long enough to laugh and clap.

By the time Sam had found the towel and returned Donatello was on his feet waving the papers around. "Sam! Do you have any idea what this means?!" He suddenly found the towel slapped over his mouth. Before un-gagging him Sam gave him a look. "Pat." He corrected, looking around to make sure he hadn't had Travis's attention when he'd said Sam's name.

"Besides Saki being an evil man?" She asked before started to mop Don's front with the towel, "Or the fact that this is concrete evidence that could shut down his entire business if we could find an uncorrupted court to try him in or maybe that little detail about how he's got his slimy tentacles in just about every aspect of this city?!"

By the time she had finished Don was staring at her again, both slightly sheepish at not warning her about Saki before and curious, "What exactly do you mean by 'slimy tentacles'?"

"Don't change the subject." Sam mumbled. She handed Donnie the towel to clean himself off with. "So what do _you_ think it means?"

Donatello started to reply then stopped, "What do you mean by 'if we could find an uncorrupted court'?" He asked.

Sighing in frustration, Sam turned back to the table and flipped over the papers. With the same pencil she had used to summarize her conclusions Samantha circled several names and underlined a couple others. "These," She said, circling another name, "Are judges in the city while this," she pointed to one of the other names, "is the chief of police. I'm not sure exactly the purpose of the money here," certain lines of numbers and figures were captured in parenthesis, "But it clearly links Oroku Saki and his company to these names and Mo-…" Sam's voice suddenly broke off. The pencil she had been using scratched across the paper, breaking the lead and splintering the wood slightly.

"Mrs. Gelding?" Donnie suggested softly.

Sam gave a small nod, her head tilting slightly so that she could see where Travis and Mikey had settled down on the couch and were currently arguing over who got what character on the video game. "_Mrs. Gelding_ has mistrusted some of these names for years…" She finished tightly. Clearing her throat, Sam continued. "So… um, while we have a lot of information on the company, without assurances that the court was not receiving funds from him Saki could be untouchable… for now."

Donatello nodded his understanding but kept an eye on Sam. He'd asked Sam why she'd chosen to go by the name 'Pat' around Travis shortly after they'd first rescued him from the Foot clan. She'd explained that she didn't want him getting mixed up about certain things, nor having to deal with concepts any worse than what he already had on his plate. Still, it was hard on her, anyone could see this. Hopefully after tomorrow, things would get easier.

Doubtful, but hopefully.

* * *


	43. Of Princes and Dungeons

I do not own the TMNT

* * *

Chapter Forty-three; Of Princes and Dungeons

* * *

Brandon Gelding was a prince, and every year for the last twenty years he had taken his princess out for dinner on the little princess's birthday. When she was three it had been fantastic to go to Burger King with her big brother. By the time she was ten Brandon had a part-time job and could take her to the deli across the street.

The year she'd turned sixteen Brandon came home from college to make sure she went to a fine restaurant and felt as much the princess she'd felt when she was three years old and proudly letting her big brother put the cardboard crown on her head. On her twenty-first birthday her big brother made sure she had no more than a single glass of fine wine.

On her twenty-fifth birthday Brandon finally allowed someone else to take her for her birthday dinner. That was the night another prince staked his claim on the little princess. After accepting the young prince's proposal they both soon discovered that dinner had been paid in full by "Mr. Gelding". Every year since then the two princes had alternated on who could take the princess out for her special dinner and fought over who would pay.

On the morning after her thirty-second birthday Laura Gelding-Smith no longer felt like a princess. Her dress had been removed and a police officer had taken it for evidence while Laura changed into the outfit her husband brought for her. While her prince charming held her in his strong arms and offered all the comfort he could Laura's white knight slept on the hospital bed, his eyes bandaged to protect the cut that had come so close to them and tubes leading to bandages on both arms.

The doctors said that he was fine, a little bed rest and he'd be fine, the bandages over his eyes could come off in a couple days and the gash underneath held with butterfly bandages.

The doctors said everything would be fine. There was nothing wrong with Brandon that a little rest and some expert nursing couldn't fix right up.

The doctors said this, but for some reason when the police came to escort Laura to the Gelding's apartment to try and find Travis she felt as if the world was about to collapse on her more assuredly than it had when Samantha had been kidnapped.

* * *

Reiko carefully touched up her hair and straightened the white lab jacket she now wore. She dropped a prepared syringe in her pocket and carefully adjusted the pass clipped to the coat before leaving the bathroom.

A quick check with the front desk and Reiko walked confidently to the elevator. After calling the car she only had to wait a moment before the doors opened, releasing a pale woman with messy make-up and a small bandage on her face. The woman was flanked by two police officers with their hands on their guns. After the three left the elevator Reiko entered it and pushed the button for her floor.

* * *

"Noon? But that's broad daylight!" Sam looked up from the paper in shock.

Now that she had been filled in on all the details before the Geldings were attacked it had been decided to include her on what they knew about her family, which included the note left in her family's apartment. It was a short and simple ransom note following a basic formula. Be at point A at time t with exchange item 1 and exchange item 2 will not be brutally tortured and murdered.

Unfortunately: time t equaled noon, point A was on top off a roof, exchange item 1 was the Disk and exchange item 2 was Patricia Gelding. The biggest factor was not mentioned in the formula, persona T for Turtles. "You can't seriously be thinking about going!" Sam objected.

Master Splinter, Raphael, Leonardo and Donatello all looked grim. "There isn't much else we can do Sam. We have copies of the disk anyway and it _is_ your mom." Leo pointed out.

Sam looked at him, trying to object, argue, debate and do all that came naturally to her. No arguments came. She remembered in vivid color the horrified way Travis had finally related his nightmare to her and there was very little she could think of that she wouldn't do to keep her friends safe.

Her mother fit into that 'very little she wouldn't do' category.

Finally, unable to object and feeling her self control threatening to slip, Sam stood and handed the note back to Master Splinter. Biting her lip till she was sure it would bleed, she turned and hurried from the room. Samantha couldn't help but feel divided. She wanted to protect her family more than anything. Her mother, father and brother meant the world to her, but the more she stayed here the more Sam worried about the turtle family as well.

* * *

"Ouch."

Patricia Gelding sat up slowly, one hand tending a nasty lump on the back of her skull. The hair over that spot felt slightly crusted with something –likely dried blood. Once Patricia was sure she wasn't too seriously injured she looked around the room, hoping that the slight rotation she saw and felt was her and not actually the room.

The room she was in was a simple cell. One bed suspended from the wall, a compact toilet, an equally compact sink and a door that didn't look too promising in the way of opening in the near future. Carefully Patricia pulled herself off the floor and moved to investigate the door closer. It was metal, hollow, but heavy enough to mute any pounding. Near the bottom was a small separation that looked like it might open for something to be pushed through. On Patricia's side of the door there was a tray with a small bowl of mush and nothing else. Whoever it was that was behind this hadn't even had the courtesy to return her rosary.

For the moment Patricia abandoned the tray and further investigated the room. The walls were solid, a thin metal cover over some kind of insulation made it clear that pounding on the walls would be just as effective as the door. The floor was the same way and the ceiling was out of reach.

Although the fixture overhead provided reasonable lighting Patricia felt disheartened. First her daughter, then herself. Travis was likely terrified and who knew how Brandon would react anymore?

Furthermore, Patricia had no idea how long she'd been unconscious. Was it several minutes? Not likely, more like a few hours… or was it several? Patricia had no way to tell, no one to ask and her only company was a bowl of mush that had gone lukewarm.


	44. A Friendly Battle

I do not own the TMNT

* * *

Chapter Forty-four; A Friendly Battle

* * *

In the main room of the lair Mikey and Travis were at it again, this time the activity involved a remote and an argument over the latest comic book-made-action-thriller vs. the latest episode of some Japanese series being aired in the states. From the looks of it Travis was going to win, mad ninja skills didn't seem to protect the turtle from the tickling fingers a persistent human child.

Sitting beside the doorway of her bedroom on the second level, Samantha ran a wet cloth over the blade of the ax, polishing away the last of the grime and blood. Beneath a thin layer of moisture the metal shone and the fire-engine red paint glistened.

The soft tapping of a walking stick announced Master Splinter's arrival but Sam kept her focus on her little brother. Down below there was a shout as Travis found himself lifted completely in the air, scrambling to find something to tickle within reach with one hand while holding the remote out of Michelangelo's grasp with the other.

"You are much like Leonardo." Master Splinter spoke, finally receiving Samantha's curious gaze.

"What do you mean?"

The old rat turned and looked down at the two battling it out for the remote. "He too will often sit off to the side and watch his brothers, as though his gaze would frighten away any that might harm them."

"Hmph." Sam turned and watched the boys as well. "Except if anything comes after the guys Leo can at least do something." She retorted bitterly.

"Leonardo also has an unfortunate tendency to take too much upon himself." Splinter added.

Slowly, Sam cast a look at the elder. "What do you mean by that?" Other than training with Master Splinter and the guys' individual hobbies there really wasn't much to do down here. Samantha also suspected that once again, the turtles' father and teacher was up to more than appearances might indicate.

"My son often tends to take responsibility for the wellbeing and comfort of others." He looked down his muzzle at her, "Take for instance your fear related to elevators." Sam frowned, not sure how this applied to the topic. "Leonardo has taken special care to ensure you are forced to use the stone elevator as little as possible. He has also gone against his training to try and bring you a small piece of your home and it was he who retrieved the axe you know hold." Unconsciously Sam's hand lifted to the locket she still wore around her neck, even as her other hand tightened around the handle of the ax. She hadn't realized… "Leonardo always takes on these additional responsibilities, even if it may not be possible to fulfill."

"While I admit, this tendency of his has made many matters immeasurable easier on his brothers and myself, it has also laid upon Leonardo a burden for things he could not do." Despite his apparent age Master Splinter crouched down beside Sam with fluid grace. "Such as the feeling that he should have protected someone when there was no feasible ability to do so." Splinter caught Sam's gaze and held it. "With or without his training as a martial artist, someday Leonardo must come to terms with the fact that he cannot do everything."

For several moments Samantha met Splinter's gaze before finally redirecting her attention to the main floor of the lair. She'd have to think about that one for a bit.

"Notfairnotfairnotfair!" Travis squeaked from the floor.

"Sorry dude, if Raph can throw his weight around so can I!" Mikey sat on Travis's back, pinning him to the floor. With a grunt Travis stuck the remote in his mouth.

"You don't know where that's been…" Sam mumbled from her place next to Master Splinter. She bit her glove to keep from lecturing the boy.

Master Splinter looked grim. "I do." He stated cryptically.

"Dude! I have three bros and _I'm_ the gross one! A little spit can't stop me." He pried the remote out of Travis's mouth before standing up and darting off to the couch. He vaulted the back of it and landed on the cushions with a thud. Grinning triumphantly he hit the power button.

…and again…

…And again.

"Dude! What the shell?" He turned back to Travis who sat where he'd been left on the floor, grinning like a certain stripped cat. "What did you do?" Mikey asked.

Travis reached into his mouth and pulled out the battery. "You grew up with three brothers; I grew up with one sister. She taught me how to fight dirty." Splinter cast another look at Sam, this one she carefully avoided, although she couldn't stop the smirk that pulled at her lips.

"_So_ not cool!" Mikey jumped back over the couch and the fight began anew.

On the other side of the lair Raph sat with Donnie discussing different plans for the next day. They looked up from their talk and watched the fight with some amusement. "Don, exactly how long ago did their shows end?" Raph asked.

"Travis's cartoon ended an hour ago, Mikey's movie ends in five minutes." Donnie reported.

"Thought so." Raph grunted before turning back to the task at hand.


	45. Rooftop Lecture

I do not own the TMNT

Warning; Those with no taste or weak stomachs might want to avoid the first paragraph… some people think my taste in sandwiches is disgusting to the max.

* * *

Chapter Forty-five; Rooftop Lecture

* * *

Lunch had been an unusually calm affair. After consulting Sam, Mikey set about making Travis's favorite food. He was still trying to figure out how to explain to the kid that he had "just happened" to make Travis's favorite grilled cheese with sweet pickles without giving away the facts that Sam had told him and that almost every other resident of the lair found the idea repulsive. Fortunately the boy had never asked, opting instead to enjoy as much of it as he could while Donnie and Raph ninjaed the pickles out of their sandwiches. After lunch Sam found herself in the possession of a bowl of greasy, sliced sweet pickles.

Donatello saw her enjoying this treat and made a turtle-bee-line for the bathroom, looking a distinctly non-reptilian shade of green.

Travis had planned to challenge Michelangelo to a round of video games, but before he could Mikey was seen heading into the stone elevator.

So the nine year old found himself in a situation that he didn't know his own sister had found herself in time and time again, he was bored.

Fortunately there was an expert on boredom in immature individuals present. After spending his entire mutated life with two brothers prone to boredom -one of which tended to use big words and the other requiring exceptionally small words- Raphael considered himself something of an expert on boredom. So he decided to keep the kid busy… and get away from the smell of grease and pickles in the kitchen.

"Hey kid." Raph called.

The boy smirked, "Hey turtle, what?"

"Okay, point taken. _Travis_, ya wanna see what we do in that room?" Raph jerked a thumb towards the dojo.

Travis was hopeful, but uncertain. "Um… I was told I shouldn't go in there without permission."

"Yeah, well I'm givin ya permission. Ya comin'?" A broad grin spread across Travis's face. "I take that ta mean yeah." Raph started towards the dojo but was stopped by Sam.

"Raphael!" She called sternly.

The red masked turtle stiffened for a second. His brothers had told him Sam wasn't really angry with them… but who understood women? "What?"

"If he comes out of there needing an eye patch it's coming out of your shell!" For her last two words she threw in a mocking level of fake Brooklyn accent, "Get it?"

"Got it." Raph retorted with his characteristic smirk. The exchange had Travis trying to smother a giggle.

"Good."

* * *

Across the city Leonardo kept his perch watching over the hospital. Something was wrong, something was very wrong, but he didn't know what.

Earlier that day he had left his watch to speak with Samantha and his family about the note while Mikey kept Travis busy. When he returned he discovered that Sam and Travis' aunt had been absent for almost the same span of time. While Laura Gelding was clearly upset about something new it didn't seem to relate to the unattended hospital room –most likely she had discovered Travis wasn't in the safe area and thought he had been taken with his mother. Her concern was passed to the patient, who had regained consciousness and seemed to be doing surprisingly well.

But it was another detail that had Leo concerned. Two of the nursing assistants attending Mr. Gelding were jumpy. When no one else was in the room they whispered together agitatedly and when someone else entered one tended to drag the other out of the room. This more than concerned Leo.

"Dude, go home."

The wind twitching the blue tales of Leo's mask was the only response Mikey got.

"Leo, bro, you haven't slept since, like, yesterday night-morning."

This time Leo lifted an eye ridge but didn't turn from his watch. "Night-morning?" He asked.

"Totally, you get up when it's too early to be morning but since you're up, it's morning. Night-morning."

"Remind me to ask Sam if _her_ brother is this weird."

From the shift of Mikey's feet on the roof and the tone of his voice Leo could tell his own brother was annoyed. "Why don't you go ask her now? Or better yet, get to know the little dude yourself some. Then you can take a nice long nap."

The blue mask tails swayed as Leo shook his head. "I can't do that." He responded, keeping his eyes on the hospital window. Considering the design of the hospital he was lucky to have such a good vantage point, but it wasn't good enough to tell him why the CNA's were so worked up.

"Leo, bro, you can't avoid her forever. She isn't even mad at you."

Leo narrowed his eyes, trying to look busy. "I'm not avoiding her." He said dismissively.

Mikey didn't always take hints to end a conversation as well as he should have. "Liar, liar, shell on fire."

"I'm not!" Leo insisted, mentally cursing the defensive tone that slid into his voice with all the subtlety of a landslide.

"Uh-huh, that's why you didn't look at me like I was crazy and shrug it off."

Leo grit his teeth as he forced himself to keep watching the window. "I can't leave." He insisted.

"Are you really doing anything? Learning anything? Dude, the cops are here, the Foot isn't going to risk being seen and you can't hear a thing." Leo opened his mouth to respond but Mikey continued –unknowingly saving his brother from an awkward silence. "Are you really here cause, like, you need to be? Or are just here because it's easier?"

That struck a nerve. How often had Master Splinter told them to recognize the correct path by its difficulty? Slowly Leo inhaled and released the breath through his nostrils. "Fine." He agreed, standing. As they left Leo couldn't decide which bothered him more; the prospect of facing Sam and Travis, the idea that he'd been avoiding them out of cowardice, or the fact that _Mikey_ had just given him advice and a needed lecture.


	46. Mind Games

I do not own the TMNT

* * *

Chapter Forty-Six; Mind Games

* * *

"Hey Mike, get your shell in here!" Raphael called as soon as he heard Mike enter the lair. Curious, Mikey wandered over to the dojo, only to be struck in the knees and tackled to the floor by Travis; who was progressing surprisingly well in "Raphael's school of non-ninja butt kickin'… eh, for defense purposes only."

"Whoa! Dude! Not cool!"

Sam chuckled. Travis was catching onto his self defense lessons rapidly. Watching Raph instruct her little brother was also giving Sam a few pointers –just in case. Looking up from Travis keeping Mikey pinned to the floor with his tickling, Sam saw Leo standing in the doorway. She hadn't seen him since the talk earlier about the note, and that hadn't exactly ended on a positive note.

Hoping to ease things a bit, Sam lifted a hand to wave him over, but for some reason he flinched and left. For a moment Samantha was simply stunned, that reaction wasn't like him. After the initial shock passed Sam noted a little bit of another emotion; hurt.

* * *

When Leo saw Sam he had every intention of going over and joining her, cheering for Travis and making sure Raph didn't start teaching anything that could be regretted later.

He was about to head over when Sam moved, causing the locket of her necklace to reflect the light from the overhead fixture.

Suddenly Leo remembered his promise. No harm would come to her family, a family that now had a parent in the custody of the Foot clan and another parent in the hospital and an aunt who was barely keeping it together. Hardly the best way to keep his promise.

Leo found his earlier resolve to stop hiding and actually talk to Samantha dissolve. In an instant he decided to take Mikey's advice to get some rest… now.

* * *

The rest of the day was quiet. Raph and Donnie informed Leo on everything they had learned about the location chosen in the note. Mikey entertained Travis by challenging him to several rounds of Mortal Kombat, he was determined to win back the honor he had lost by losing his last two real life matches against the kid.

Samantha busied herself by inspecting the merchandise the turtles were still holding for April's shop. Repairs on the building would be finished soon and Sam wanted to make sure none of the guys, Klunk or her brother had caused damage to anything.

One of the boxes had split and Sam was sorting through it to ensure the contents had all survived unscathed when a voice behind her asked, "Um… Pat?"

Sam turned to where Travis was standing in the entrance of the temporary store room. "Bored with Mortal Kombat?" She asked cheerfully.

The boy shrugged, "Nah, Mikey just gets a little sulky after I beat him five rounds straight. He's convinced that with a little time he can unlock a new character to beat me with."

"That sounds like him." Sam agreed. She wrapped a plate back in its protective package and picked up the next item. "Was there anything you wanted to ask me?" With her shell turned to Travis Sam knew he couldn't see her bite her lip. Sometimes it was great being able to see him and watch over him, but actually interacting with her own brother and pretending he wasn't was starting to hurt.

"Well…You and Leo don't seem to be getting along to well… did you have a fight?" Travis asked.

For a moment Sam considered her answer, pretending to have great interest in the saucer in her hands. "I think it's more of a misunderstanding. I'm sure it'll clear up as soon as we talk it out."

"Oh."

For several minutes it was silent, Samantha assumed Travis had left and started to wrap the saucer as well. She was returning it to the box when Travis chose to speak up again. "So, are you guys brother and sister?" He asked.

"No, we're not related." She told him, pretty sure that was a safe answer, she was wrong.

"Do you like him? I mean, _like_-like him?"

The saucer slipped and Sam was sure she heard something crack. Ignoring the china, Sam focused on trying to look calm and curious when she turned around. "What?" She asked carefully.

Travis shrugged. "Nothing, forget I asked." He turned and headed back to the monitoring area.

Sam stared after him, having to wait quite some time before her brain restarted. "What?" She asked again. "Leo? Like?... what?" Her brain may have restarted but it took several more minutes before she could function normally.

"_Kids_." Sam grumbled to herself. She turned back to the box and set to work trying to find what she had broken. "More important things to worry about than _boys_." Sam muttered to herself. A moment later her mind involuntarily blanked out on her again.

The possibility of actually '_like_-like' ing one of the guys had never occurred to her. But they were mutant turtles and Sam... well.. that had been Stockman's original design... and if Travis thought it was so obvious then… Heat rose up from Sam's shoulders over her neck until she could feel the blood heating her face. "Darn you Travis!"

* * *

Reiko was more than pleased with how things were progressing.

Her… "call" on the Gelding man had gone without incident. The woman had been behaving quite agreeably since waking up, much preferable to the screamers and shouters prisoners sometimes were -like the woman's daughter had been. Ninja and Kunoichi had been handpicked for the trade off tomorrow. The master had approved of the plan and all was going smoothly.

All that remained was to await the appointed time.

* * *

Stockman cackled softly to himself as he scanned the readouts from the diagnostics.

The programming was in place, the machine had been tested and everything in the lab was prepped for the return of its prized experiment after more than a month's absence. More restraints were now available to avoid another escape. It would not be long before he had everything he needed to complete his research and once that was finished he could present his results to the Shredder and finally get some long withheld respect.

By this time tomorrow specimen T-5 would be back in Stockman's control.


	47. Discord amung the Ranks

I do not own the TMNT

* * *

Chapter Forty-Seven; Discord Amung the Ranks

* * *

Dinner had been an absolute and complete failure.

Sure the food was good and although Leo still seemed to avoid looking at Sam, he talked to Travis and managed to get the boy to open up about his secret interest in history. Everything had gone well until a light discussion about the Battle of Bataan suddenly turned into a modern massacre. Food flew everywhere; Milk was launched as napalm, pizzas were horribly mangled and their parts used for a variety of different weapons, sodas were shaken and the foam spritzed over the table while garlic dips and peppers were thrown to distract the enemy from cheesy parmesan attacks.

It wasn't long before the turtles discovered that food clung to hair and the four brothers ganged up on Sam and Travis. "Pat! Save yourself!" Travis squealed when Leo and Donnie pinned him to the floor while Raph rubbed pizza sauce into his hair.

"Never leave a man behind!" Sam declared. Mikey had an arm across her shoulders and was menacing her with an extra cheese. With a wicked grin Sam reached behind him and seized one of his mask tales. With a yank her opponent was blinded.

"Dude! Not cool!" Mikey whined, not for the first time that day.

"Oh, and four against two is fair?" Sam retorted. While Mikey paused to fix his mask Sam escaped, grabbed a topping-less slice off the floor and jumped on the back of Raphael's shell, splattering the pizza sauce into his face. The large turtle stumbled and crashed into Donatello, leaving Leo alone to combat his fellow food-fight instigator.

Meanwhile, Mikey had straightened his mask and grabbed another container of garlic dip out of one of the pizza boxes. He was trying to decide whether to attack Leo and Travis, or help Sam against his remaining brothers when the crack of wood against stone brought the entire battle to a standstill. All eyes moved to where Master Splinter was standing sternly.

Imeediately, All food in hand was dropped.

Master Splinter cleared his throat. Leo quickly jumped to his feet and helped Travis up while Sam climbed off of Raph's shell so he could in turn help Donnie up. The four male turtles lined up out of habit while Sam and Travis stood quietly nearby.

Calmly, the old rat asked. "Who?" Leo and Travis were quickly... erm… _ratted_ out. Both of them looked sheepish and repentant while everyone else pointed at them. "I expect all to be clean within the next two hours. Clean up this mess and shower." He lifted his walking stick to point at Sam; most of her hair had come free of its ribbon and was now caked to her face, neck and shell with pizza sauce, soda and milk. "You may shower first." Master Splinter didn't permit so much as order this. Sam nodded meekly as a pepperoni peeled itself free of her arm.

"Leonardo, once everyone has cleaned up you will clean the bathroom. Mr. Gelding…"

"Um… Travis, Mr. Gelding is my dad." Travis corrected. After a moment he added a respectful, "Sir."

Splinter nodded, "Of course. Travis, as a guest in our home your are more than welcome. However, if you plan to participate in certain activities with everyone else I hope you will also agree to help clean up."

Travis nodded, causing a glob of pizza sauce to drip off of his nose. "Well, yeah. I guess it's only fair since I won."

"_What_?!" "You _wish_!" "Dude, no way."

Before another fight could ensue Master Splinter cleared his throat once more. With everyone's attention back on him he issued his final orders. "You should begin your showers now, and please ensure all is finished in time for Travis to retire at a reasonable hour."

"Hai sensei."

"Yes sir."

"Very good." Master Splinter nodded to the young folk before turning and heading for his room.

The young people waited quietly until Master Splinter had returned to his quarters. For a moment everyone was quiet, then Mikey turned to Travis and did his best to loom over the kid, "What do you mean you won?" He demanded.

Sam chuckled, "And that's my queue to hit the showers before round two kicks up." She announced.

Sure enough, shortly after Sam shut the bathroom door behind her the sounds of a food fight in full swing could once again be heard. As she carefully undressed… as it were… and prepped for her shower Samantha caught her reflection in the mirror and for the first time she didn't shy from what she saw.

Examining the stranger in the mirror, Sam tilted her head slightly and considered the pizza sauced mutant in front of her. Sure, things were a far cry from perfect… but maybe, just maybe… maybe they could be okay.

This thought in mind, Sam abandoned her reflection.

* * *

Nothing help to put things in a little bit more possitive light than a good old fashioned food fight. : )


	48. War Councel

I do not own the TMNT

* * *

Chapter Forty-eight; War Councel

* * *

It wasn't until after Travis had been put to bed that the tension returned to the lair in full. In less than twelve hours the turtle's would leave to exchange the original Disk for Mrs. Gelding. It was time to arrange the final plan for the next day.

April arrived soon after she was called, reporting that the repairs to her store would be done within the next few days. She then sat down next to Sam on the couch in the monitoring area and glanced curiously around at the bare faces of her typically masked friends, but didn't comment. Mikey sat on Sam's other side while Donnie pulled a chair up across the coffee table. Leo and Raph stood on the open ends of the small table while Master Splinter emerged from his room and took his favorite chair –opting to listen and advise rather than take an active part in the planning.

Donatello spread several maps and printouts on the table. "This is the building described on the note." He indicated the corner of two roads on one map and a specific building on another. "It stands a story higher than the tallest building in any direction for at least a block and a half; I assume this is because the Foot clan doesn't want to be seen, just to try and unnerve us."

Picking up a pencil, Donnie marked several locations on the map around the building in one color, then used a red pen to mark a few of these. "These are the entrances to the utility tunnels and sewers in that area. The red ones are preferable in an emergency. We'll still have the battle shell as an option of course but best to be prepared." He cast a sidelong glance and a smirk at Leo, who merely nodded.

April picked up a folder she had brought with her and pulled out several blueprints. "These are from the city records of the building." She explained.

Sam watched at the team worked together to form a complete plan and what almost seemed like an excessive number of back up plans. They worked together easily, Donatello and April presenting the information while Raph, Mikey and Leo took that information and hashed it out. This 'hashing' process often seemed like bickering, but it always seemed to result in at least one idea for every situation if not more.

In a way it reminded Sam of brainstorming meetings with the debate team. Throwing out ideas and jokes until they were confident they had covered every last option. It wasn't hard to slip back into her usual position; leaning forward with her arms crossed in her lap or holding papers that were handed from her. From time to time she had to reach up to brush hair out of her eyes since the ribbon she'd been using to hold it back with was now hanging over the kitchen sink with her sleeves and the guys' masks; all still drying after the dinnertime food fight.

While the young ones worked out their plans, Master Splinter casually glanced up to Samantha's room on the second floor. A small boy who was supposed to be sleeping stood in the doorway watching the meeting. He was much too far away to hear the low voices so there was no threat that he could overhear. However, there was no telling exactly what the boy might be gleaning from what he saw.

Acting as if he hadn't seen the boy, Master Splinter calmly sipped his tea and returned his attention to the meeting in front of him, privately considering his own trains of thought.

Meanwhile, Donatello triumphantly circled the nearest police station while Leonardo explained, "After that the Foot will have no more use for them and they should be safe. We'll keep a minimal watch but-"

"No."

"- that should be the…" It took Leo a moment to realize that he'd been interrupted. He turned to Sam and blinked. "What?"

Sam shook her head, absently playing with the straps on her nearly-dry gloves. "No." She repeated. The skin between her eyes was wrinkled and though she was staring intently she didn't seem to see the charts in front of her. "My father and aunt were attacked by a ninja clan on the street. Mom saw the face of at least one of them and so did Travis. Two people are dead because of this," She shrugged slightly, "officially three including me. Somehow I don't see this going away with so many loose ends."

Everyone stared at her. April was the first to speak, "What were you thinking?" She asked.

Her family –all of it- was loose ends. It didn't take too many bad crime movies to figure out this was a bad thing. And it didn't take being kidnapped, interrogated and then rescued by ninja to realize how especially important secrecy was to them; both the mutants and the non-mutants.

Although Saki might not know it yet, Sam herself was a loose end. She'd seen the financial records; Stockman worked for Saki and it wouldn't be to long before the fact that Sam was alive got out. One ninja had already discovered this for herself and made it clear she was willing to inform others. What would Saki do when he found out that the Geldings –with information that could hurt him- had definite ties to the mutant turtles –who could fight him on his own territory?

What could be done to keep her family away from Saki and the Foot clan?

Sam looked up, "How extensive is the Foot clan?" She asked.

The turtles and the red-head exchanged looks. Finally it seemed that they had silently decided Leo should answer. "Well." He began, "We know that for some reason their clan leader, the jonin-"

"Saki." Sam supplied dryly.

Leo nodded a little guiltily at the subtle reminder of more information they had tried to keep from Sam. "Right, we know that for some reason he's working here, but the majority of the clan, and the company, is still located in Japan."

Donnie nodded and took up the explanation. "So far there's no evidence that the clan is active anywhere else… but it is a clan of ninja so there may be no way to tell."

Samantha nodded. "So there's a good chance that getting away from the city is safe?" She asked.

Without completely thinking his answer through Donnie started to reply, "Theoretically, ye-" He suddenly choked on his answer. "Sam… you're not thinking of…" he frowned, surprised by his own conclusions.


	49. Family before Self

I do not own the TMNT

There's a word in here I've been wanting to use for months… huzzah for spontaneous reactions!

* * *

Chapter Forty-nine; Family Before Self

* * *

Walking into the kitchen, Sam pulled off her gloves and tucked them into her belt.

"Samantha, wait. We need to talk about this."

Sam shook her head and picked up the blue mask draped over the edge of the sink. She turned and handed this to Leo. "Not really." She replied calmly. Without waiting for a response she started folding the other masks and setting them aside. "I mean, so long as the Foot make good on their side of the deal this will be just about over in just a few days."

Leonardo accepted his mask and tied it back over his eyes as he spoke. "But what was all that about outside the city?" He asked, not needing an answer so much as trying to get her to talk about it.

Having emptied the sink of food-fight laundry, Sam started filling it with soapy water for the dishes. "Just something I've been thinking about lately." She said dismissively.

"Sam." Leo placed a hand on her shoulder. He used just enough pressure to indicate he wanted her to turn, but not so much that it was forced. Sam ignored the gesture and started putting dishes in the water. "Are you thinking about getting your family to leave New York?" Again it was an answer he didn't really need.

Samantha shrugged, focusing intently on the white foamy white suds on the dishwater. "It wouldn't be hard." Again she tried to sound dismissive, but a faint trace of depression slipped into the sentence.

"I'm not so sure."

Ignoring the blatant hinting that he wasn't referring to the 'how' part, Sam reached into the dishwater and started scrubbing pizza grease off of the plates. "Actually, it would be easy. Mom's never really liked the city and after everything in the apartment was destroyed she'd be more than willing to take certain hints and-"

Again Leo grabbed her shoulder, this time he wasn't overly gentle as he turned her around to look at him. As expected Sam's expression was determined and calm. What he hadn't expected were the tear tracks she'd been hiding with her unbound hair. "_gleep_."

The strange sound immediately shifted Sam's expression to hesitant confusion. "Did you just say 'gleep'?" She asked. Leo hadn't really _said_ anything; it had actually been more of a sound, like a whimper or a yelp except deeper and definitely unexpected.

The green skin of Leo's cheeks darkened considerably but otherwise he didn't act like anything unusual had happened. Clearing his throat to avoid another incident he pressed on, "Sam, I wasn't talking about how hard it would be to chase them off. I was talking about how hard it would be to stay behind."

For a moment Sam just stood there, unable to react one way or another. Slowly she returned her line of sight to the sink, one hand playing in the water absently. She was vaguely aware that her other hand; which had been pulled out of the sink when Leo spun her around, was dripping suds onto the stone floor. "I know."

Leo's tone dropped a little. "Then why are you trying to ignore it?" He asked gently.

Sam traced an abstract shape in the suds. "Why is how I feel so important?" She countered quietly. Looking up from the sink, Sam met Leo's concerned gaze. "You understand better than anyone that I have to protect my family. How I feel about what has to be done, it really isn't as important as making sure they're safe." Fresh tears retraced the trails down her face. "Besides, I… I got to see Travis again." She swallowed, attempting to contain the stutter that was trying to shake her words. "That's more than I thought I'd get." She tried to smile, but the muscles in her face didn't seem to want to cooperate.

Before replying Leo put his hand back on Sam's shoulder, this time comforting rather than trying to get her attention. "It still hurt." He said solemnly. "Especially without him know who you are." As her expression seemed to crumble Sam ducked her head, letting her loose hair fall around her face. Leo frowned, not liking the feeling of being blocked out that he got from the unconscious gesture. He lifted one hand and carefully brushed some of the hair out of the way so he could see her. Although his gesture was a little clumsy due to his unfamiliarity with real hair he managed to tuck some of it behind Sam's ear like he'd seen April do with her hair. Once the fragile barrier was broken Leo gently pulled Samantha closer to him, just holding her while she cried.

Part of Leo was still shocked at the idea of what she was planning to do. He couldn't imagine purposefully separating himself from his family. Yet he could clearly understand the 'why' of the matter. It wasn't too long before Leo felt his mask dampen slightly with empathy while he continued to hold Samantha.

* * *

Meanwhile, two girls in dirtied scrubs were leaving the hospital. One of the girls looked worried. "Are you sure we shouldn't have told anyone?" She asked again.

"I'm sure." The second answered confidently. "You'd only get in trouble for questioning a doctor. Besides, you know how bad they are at keeping the records."

The first girl pulled a lock of hair from where she had tied it all back that morning and absently stuck it in her mouth, chewing nervously. "Still…" She mumbled, "I'd like to know who that doctor was, and what she put in that man's IV."


	50. Morning has Broken

I do not own the TMNT

* * *

Chapter Fifty; Morning has Broken

* * *

Sleeping arrangements were somewhat shuffled.

Travis took Sam's bed. Sam was told to take Mikey's loftbed or somebody would play barber shop with her hair while she slept. Mikey got Leo's bunk and Leo took the couch.

So it was something of a surprise when Sam woke up to find her little brother had somehow tracked her down and was waiting patiently to talk to 'Pat'.

Blinking the sleep from her eyes and pushing her hair out of her face, Sam sat up on the bed. "Travis? What are you doing here?" She asked.

Although it was dark she could see that Travis was upset about something. He climbed the rest of the way onto the bed and handed something to Sam. "You have small fingers… can you fix him?"

Sam frowned, not sure what he meant but reached for what he handed her either way. Her fingers gripped the worn fur of her Alf doll. When she picked it up she was able to make out the outline of the familiar toy in the dim lighting. One of her fingers slipped past the fur and the material holding it together to the soft cotton innards. "His shoulder has a tear in it." Sam reported sadly. _Why is it always this shoulder? Mom must have fixed it a dozen times_. She understood why Travis had come to her, the guys had fewer fingers and these tended to be larger. Large fingers made for difficulty sewing.

Carefully Sam handed the doll back, "Keep him from falling apart any further and I'll see what I can do about getting him patched up, okay?"

Travis's smile nearly lit the room up. "Thanks Pat." And the light faded just as quickly as it had come.

While Travis climbed down from the loft Sam grabbed her things from the post and 'dressed' by pulling on the belt, sleeves and gloves. After climbing down after Travis Sam pulled her sandals on and grabbed the ribbon to tie her hair back. She was finishing the bow on the ribbon when Sam stepped out of Mikey's room and saw for the first time the level of activity that was taking place in the lair.

Donatello was moving rapidly from his lab to the armory to the kitchen to… everywhere else, with his duffle bag in tow, slowly filling it with anything that had a good chance of being useful. Raphael was in the dojo, but rather than abusing his punching bag he had several sets of throwing stars as well as his own sais spread out in front of him as he went through and meticulously inspected, sharpened and polished each piece. Off to the side in another portion of the dojo Leo had set up a mat and some candles, his eyes were closed and Sam recognized his position from all the times she'd seen him and his brothers meditate.

As Sam moved around the lair to where she thought there were some sewing implements she passed the kitchen where Mikey was cooking, from the look of things had been he'd cooking for a while. He waved at Sam and Travis as they passed before turning his attention to something sizzling in a frying pan.

In the armory Travis stopped and looked around in awe at all the blades and weapons. Sam went to one of the cabinets and opened it. On one of the shelves, just as she'd remembered, were several needles and several lengths of thread in materials and thicknesses from a thin silk to small strips of leather. While Sam selected what she would need to make Alf whole again Travis walked over to one of the weapons racks and stopped about a foot away, then leaned in until he was close enough to nearly slice his nose open on one of the blades, his way around the 'look but don't get too close' rule their mother had instated.

Their mother. Sam hated the idea that getting their mother back required the turtles to go topside in daylight, but with her mother's life on the line she couldn't very well argue.

Even if she wanted too.

Even if the thought of one of them getting hurt sent her gut through the wringer.

After Sam finished selecting the materials to repair the doll with, Mikey could be heard shouting loud enough for the dead in Jersey to hear, "Breakfast a la Mikey is served! Come and get it!"

Travis smiled at the call, then turned anxiously to Sam, "Pat, they're getting Mom back today, right?" He asked quickly.

Sam nodded. "Yep. That's the plan. They'll take her to the police to be safe and once everything's safe you'll go back with her." She managed to keep her voice strong and only had to blink a couple of times to keep from crying. Reaching out, Sam took the alf doll's torn arm in one hand while Travis held it up. After sticking the needle through the torn portion she quickly wrapped the length of thread around the arm so it wouldn't be lost. "There. I'll put this where I'm going to fix it while you go ahead and get started on breakfast."

"Alright." Travis agreed, handing the toy over and hurrying from the room.

For a moment Sam was left alone with the doll. She smiled affectionately at the thing, "I guess this means you're his now." Sam told ALF. "Take care of him."

After giving this order Sam tucked the toy under her arm and went to put it in her room to be patched after breakfast. She placed the doll at the head of her bed, an honor the thing had been deprived of ever since it had been tossed under the bed just minutes before the first guests arrived for her first sleepover with the other DECA girls.

Once Sam finished making sure the toy was situated she turned and walked to the door.

Just before she stepped out Sam hurried back to the bed and pulled the doll into a tight hug, burying her face in the soft fur.


	51. Sending our boys

I do not own the TMNT

* * *

Chapter Fifty-one; Sending our Boys

* * *

After a big breakfast Master Splinter had taken his sons into another room and spoken quietly with them about their next mission. They have faced more numerous opponents. They had faced blackmail and ransom. The Foot ninja were far from the turtles' most dangerous opponent, but the prospect of going out into broad daylight in the middle of the city was a frightening one to four ninja raised in shadows and fear.

When the turtles emerged from the lecture they were serious. Only Mikey smiled, and even then just long enough to fire off a thumbs up to Sam and Travis. While the turtles geared up and Donnie went through his duffle one more time Travis quietly moved to Sam's side and watched with her. Mikey gave his chucks a quick spin and Leo glanced over to the Geldings.

He was struck by how greatly the two resembled each other in that moment. Travis was small for his age, but at nine years old he stood at the height of Samantha's shoulders. His hair was thick enough that it gave him another inch or two, well above where a few locks of hair had fallen in front of Sam's shoulders. The two really did have the exact same shade and type of hair. Their eyes were the exact same shade of brown and despite the changes Sam had undergone the shape of their eyes were the same as well. They were both standing stock still with their hands at their sides and their feet spaced apart the same way.

Most striking was their expressions. Exact mirrors of concern, tension and worry. They both also held an element of something more, some added stress that Leo couldn't quite put his finger on what it was.

Master Splinter joined the two Geldings. He watched with the composure that comes with long experience tempered by a father's constant vigil and sharpened by the caution of a warrior as his sons and students stepped into the stone elevator. None, even those who might watch for it, noticed the slight stiffness that entered his body as the doors closed, shutting him off from the turtles.

Absently Sam reached out and put an arm around her brother, Travis didn't object and leaned against her side.

"They'll get her back safe, right?" Travis asked in a whisper.

"Of course." Sam tried to assure her brother as well as Master Splinter and herself.

* * *

Reiko watched dispassionately as the Gelding woman was blindfolded and pulled from her cell. Once she was in the hallway the foot soldiers bound her hands behind her back and led her to where she would be loaded into an unlabeled black vehicle to be taken to the site of the exchange.

Despite the knowledge that she and those under her command had the advantage in every way Reiko still fought off a mild sense of discomfort.

The plan would work. They would get the disk back and get rid of the Gelding woman. All lose ends would be temporarily silenced by evening, giving the clan time for the Gelding mother and son to get out from under the immediate protection of the turtles and the police, then all would be finished and Reiko would undoubtedly be rewarded. Not even the dark looks that Chunin Karai shot at her when Reiko reported to Master Shredder could bother Reiko now.

But she was bothered. It was her own fault really, this twist in her plan seemed to especially please the Master, but that didn't completely make up to the unnaturalness of the situation. Broad daylight; it just didn't seem right for ninja to be out in the light, but being human once again gave the Foot the advantage. They could slip out of the crowd, into the thick of battle and back into the massive city populace as they might the shadows at night.

But broad daylight…

Shrugging off this mild discomfort Reiko focused her efforts on preparing for the coming encounter. Her efforts were hampered greatly when suddenly all the ninja before her bowed and a smooth voice behind her ordered, "Kunoichi Reiko, there has been a slight alteration of plans."

* * *

Hmmmmmmmm, yes I know it's a short chapter, but I promise things start kicking up again in the next chapter!


	52. Battle Cry

I do not own the TMNT

* * *

Chapter Fifty-two; Battle Cry

* * *

Nearly an hour had passed since the turtles' departure. Master Splinter had offered to teach Travis a game called 'mahjong' while they waited for the guys to call on the shell cells with the news and -if necessary- for Travis to speak to his mother and assure her that everything would be alright.

Until the call came, however, Travis bit his lip and searched eagerly for matching tiles while Sam retired to her room and set to work repairing the alf doll.

She had found a patch of brown cloth that looked a little like the material used in Master Splinter's robe. A small smile pulled at the corners of her mouth as she tried not to relate the appearance of the kind rat to the face of the fictional alien replicated in this doll. The patch was good though and as soon as Sam had it sewn in properly the seam would not likely split again.

The rhythm of her chore blended with the quiet voice of Master Splinter as he explained the details of the game to Travis. From up in her room she could barely make out the soft ceramic tink when the tiles tapped against each other and the occasional sound of Travis's giggles when something happened or Master Splinter said something amusing made for a strangely domestic scene all things considered.

But the scene and the feelings were not blended. An experienced ear could tell that Travis was not as comfortable in his laughter as he normally might be. The needle between Sam's fingers shook and the thread knotted more often than normal under her trembling hands.

One of these times, when Sam was busy untangling a snare in her thread she suddenly stopped, eyes unfocused and mind blank, but strangely aware.

Slowly she put aside the doll and climbed off the bed. Even as one part of her mind wondered what in the world she thought she was doing Sam slid her hand into the small space under the dresser and withdrew the fire axe from its hiding spot. She stood up and moved to the door to look down to where her little brother was sitting across from Master Splinter. Despite her hope that he would be quietly telling stories and giving hints about the game Master Splinter was looking up at her with a solemn expression.

This vague survival instinct was all the warning they had before the main door of the lair exploded, crashing to the floor several feet beyond the pond and revealing behind it a monstrous machine.

* * *

The sensation of the sun on their skin was odd, not that they weren't now used to it out at the farm, but this was distinctly different. How exactly wasn't clear but it was definitely not a good different. Rather than fight the sunlight, the turtles made the best of the situation by accepting the circumstances and arriving on the appointed rooftop just before the set time.

It wasn't long before large numbers of ninja seemed to appear around the ledge of the building. While their movements were as smooth as ever, the foot soldier's appearance was significantly less impressive in the daylight than when they seemed to emerge from the shadows themselves.

Directly across from the turtles a group of three ninja almost seemed to rise as if from the air itself. Between the three of them was supported a bound, gagged and blindfolded woman; Mrs. Gelding.

Once the woman was securely set on the roof and far enough away from the edge that she wasn't likely to fall off one of the ninja separated herself from the others and stepped forward. "As you can see, Patricia Gelding is unharmed and well cared for. Her permanent safety will be turned over to your hands as soon as the Disk is in mine." Reiko called.

* * *

Patricia couldn't quite suppress a shudder as the woman she had once thought to be trustworthy spoke, naming the price for her life.

In so many ways Patricia could not see. She was blindfolded securely and the only sounds she could hear were that of the wind tugging gently at her clothing or her own shoes scraping over the concrete. If it were not for the hands holding her up Patricia would have thought she and the speaker were the only living beings around, and if it weren't for the words the ninja woman had said Patricia could easily believe it was just her and the three ninja.

Her hearing felt overly sensitive. Her breathing, her heart, the wind, her clothes, even the very ropes binding her wrists she could hear. In the distance she could hear familiar noise of the city; sirens, horns, white noise permanently etched into the city's stone, steel and concrete but the sounds were strangely distant, and distorted. The sunlight that warmed her face provided the final clue, they were outside and from the particular distortion of sound, likely on the roof of a building.

Images of being thrown from the top of a tall building and plummeting blindfolded to her death flashed in Patricia's mind and again she shuddered, wondering who was supposed to have come for her. Surely the police couldn't be so silent… did they know where Travis was? Brandon?

…

…Was Samantha in any way related?

That last thought was quickly shaken off.

Had her ears not been straining so Pat would have missed the soft brush of something over paper. A moment later the sound repeated.

Completely without warning Patricia found herself pushed forward and falling. It took all her years of living in a city like New York to contain a scream before strong but strange hands gripped her arms and helped her up. "Hey, we've got you. We're the good guys. You'll see, everything's going to be okay." A voice tried to assure Patricia. Being the mother of two Pat could tell the voice was young and did not know whether to trust it or not, but she could hope.

That hope flickered dangerously when suddenly Patricia was swept completely off her feet. There was a loud shout, almost a battle cry, and after that there was only blinded chaos.


	53. Ambushed

* * *

I do not own the TMNT

* * *

Chapter Fifty-three; Ambush

* * *

The exchanged seemed to go smoothly.

Reiko accepted the Disk from Leonardo, her expression impossible to read behind the full faced mask the Foot ninja wore. She took the Disk from the paper envelope Donnie had put it in and examined it carefully before signaling to the soldiers. The ninja holding Mrs. Gelding pushed her forward and only the quick action of Mikey and Raph kept the woman from crashing to the roof. Mikey tried to reassure the woman as he and Raph helped her to her feet.

Then all shell broke loose. Reiko barked the call of attack and every Foot soldier drew their weapons. Katana, ninjaken, naginata, nunchucks, sais, staves and much, much more seemed almost painfully clear on the brightly lit rooftop. Raph immediately hefted Mrs. Gelding into his arms so he could protect her more efficiently and his brothers moved to surround him just as the entire clan seemed to fall on their heads.

* * *

"Holy cow!" Travis shouted even as Master Splinter hurried to stand between the machine and the boy.

It was huge; Sam couldn't see how the thing had fit through the narrow sewer tunnels to get to their location. The machine was rounded and rode on treads similar to those on tanks except they were angled to gain more traction against the walls of the sewers. It also sported teeth out the ying yang. The thing looked like a giant mouser's head turned tank, which meant one thing.

"Stockman." Sam snarled, gripping her ax and starting for the stairs that would take her down to the level of the machine, and her brother.

"Travis, you must stay behind me." Splinter ordered, pulling Travis back with one hand while preparing with his walking stick to defend them.

Metal clanked and with a whir something shot out, knocking the table over and sending game tiles flying. Master Splinter's training and speed allowed him to deflect the thing but it wasn't until it lodged in the stone off the wall behind him that it slowed enough to be seen. A huge metal device with four prongs long and thick enough to capture a large human was attached to a metal chain that led back to the bulk of the machine. After resting in the rock wall for a moment the chain retracted, pulling the claw out of the wall with a shower of dust and chunks from the now damaged wall. The entire sequence from launch to full retraction had lasted less than a second.

"Travis! Hide!" Sam shouted, she gave up on the stairs and jumped down to the main level, hitting the ground and rolling to avoid injuring herself.

Splinter again grabbed Travis and took off running, keeping himself between the machine and the boy as another claw was launched at them. Before the second claw had even reached Splinter yet another metal clank announced that the first was being launched. The rat master had time to deflect the first but the second caught him too quickly and knocked him clean off his feet. The claw continued with the rat for several feet before it snapped shut and jerked to a stop.

The machine dropped the lower portion of its 'jaw' as the upper portion rose, creating an opening through which the claw would be pulled as the chain retracted.

Travis quickly jumped forward, grabbing one of the claw's metal grips and digging in his heals as if to fight the machine with his nine year old strength, but the claw was easily yanked out of his fingers when the chain went taught.

"Not gonna happen!" Samantha snapped. She ran forward and swung the ax; it hit the chain dead on, snapping one of the links before ricocheting off the stone floor with a small burst of sparks. This effectively stopped Master Splinter from being dragged into the mouser tanks' maw, but despite his efforts to dislodge the claw with his walking stick the prongs remained closed and he was trapped, unable to stand or fight.

Another clank, another claw launched out. Sam spun around, just stepping out of the claw's main path, but leaving the ax she held in one hand vulnerable. The weapon was torn from her hand as the claw passed, then continued until it struck the stone wall again.

"PAT!" Travis shouted.

The claw that had stolen her ax hit the wall at the same moment that yet a third claw shot out, the sound of the first drowning out the warning clank of the second. Sam tried to dodge, but one of the prongs glanced off her shell, striking far too close to where Donnie had removed the tracking device. A wave of pain blasted over her back and shoulders and everything went white as Sam hit the floor rolling from the force of the blow.

"Pat!" Travis's voice was closer now.

"Travis hide!" Splinter ordered as Sam tried to get reoriented, tried to think.

The machine clanked again and Travis screamed. Sam just managed to regain her footing in time to see her little brother knocked off his feet and fly backwards under the force of the claw's launch before it snapped shut and came to a sudden stop.

Sam ran forward, grabbing the chain as it began to pull back and hanging on even as it jerked her off her feet and dragged her over the floor to the mouser tank. "Pat let go!" Travis squeaked.

"No." Sam pulled herself up on top of the rope and in a moment the chain grated to a slow halt as the links caught between the mouser tank's teeth. Sam, Travis and Master Splinter held their breaths, no more claws were launched.

"You did it!" Travis cheered.

Sam managed a slight smile before glancing over at Master Splinter, who was still trapped, and to her own position making sure the chain stayed low enough to stay caught. "Great, now all we have to do is wait for the guys to get back and break the stalemate." She said, "That is, so long as it doesn't try too-" Something inside the tank revved and the treads of the mouser started to move backwards into the tunnel it had just come through.


	54. Pre peripity

* * *

I do not own the TMNT

* * *

Chapter Fifty-four; Pre-peripity

* * *

"Why are you doing this?" Leo shouted at the masked ninja in charge of the exchange. He held up his katana, blocking attacks from multiple foot ninja while glaring at the ninja woman standing calmly at the side of the building roof.

The ninja shrugged. "The exchange was made, as agreed." She called. "The woman's safety is in your hands."

Sensing something coming at him from the side Leo jumped, barely avoiding getting barreled over by his own brother. "ow." Mikey whined after landing, informing his brothers that he was really unhurt. In an instant he was back on his feet and running to join Donnie in helping Raph to defend Mrs. Gelding. Raph was having a heck of a time. He was trying to watch his sides and stop any attacks that might slip past his brothers without the use of his arms, sais or his normally mobile tactics, attempting to startle the already terrified woman as little as possible.

"This attack was completely unprovoked!" Despite the continued fight Leo was still trying to reason with the woman. Raph made a note to have a word with Leo when all this was over, the guy needed some sense knocked into him and these Foot clan women weren't getting the job done.

For her part, Reiko remained calm. She flippantly tossed a hand in the air. "Perhaps I have my reasons, perhaps my command has gone to my head, and perhaps I act on orders. For all it matters to you turtles it could be anything." With a signal from the hand she had just signaled with more ninja appeared to attack Leo blade to blade, effectively distracting him from any further attempts at conversation.

A ninjaken struck Leo's katana, the sound ringing out against the other noises of battle and causing Patricia Gelding to flinch. Raph snarled, launching a split kick with enough force to not only score a direct hit one two carbon copy ninja, but to knock them back and take out at least two more.

"Don' worry lady, we'll getcha outta here." Raph said, trying his hand at Mikey's 'people person' routine.

Patricia nodded, but couldn't stop the shaking coursing through her body. Raph really couldn't blame the woman, training blind in some of Splinter's sessions was a real pain and after the shell this woman had been through in the last couple of days…shell, the last few _months_, it would be enough to turn a rock into a jittery wreck. Not to mention having her hands still tied behind her back couldn't make this any more comfortable. Civilians shouldn't have to put up with this junk, that was why they were _civilians_.

"We'll getcha outta here." Raph repeated. Just then Raph felt something strike the back of his shell, forcing him to step forward. Immediately Raph spun, using his shell to block a blow intended for Mrs. Gelding. Mrs. Gelding cringed at the sudden movement, but remained silent.

Beside him Raph's brothers did their best to defend him and keep their latest damsel in distress from harm. They tried to clear a path off the roof, but the foot ninja seemed intent on keeping them where they were. They weren't even trying too hard to go for killing blows. It took a while but Raph finally saw what they were doing, naturally Leo figured it out a breath before he did.

"They're trying to distract us!" Leo shouted.

* * *

"PAT!" Travis shouted as the metal claw holding him scraped over the floor.

Sam clung onto the chain, using her weight to keep the links jammed while searching about desperately for something to free him or stop their movement into the tunnels. Behind her Sam could hear Master Splinter reacting with frustrated anger as he too tried to get free. Sam knew she might be able to get one of the heavy bladed weapons from the armory, but she also knew that by the time she got back the machine would have 'eaten' Travis and taken off faster than she could follow.

Still thinking, Sam shifted her position so that while her weight was still on the chain her sandals took the damage from being dragged across the stone floor. "Pat do something!" Travis sounded precariously close to tears.

"I'm trying!" Sam grunted. Looking up she was able to see the tunnels of the sewers closing around them, they were officially out of the lair. The claw holding Travis skipped slightly as it left the smoother floor and screeched, kicking up sparks as it was dragged over the rougher stone of the sewers. Over the metallic scream Sam could barely hear her brother making non-syllabic panic noises. The only thing Sam was able to do was press the length of chain to the same stone floor and hope the metal would give before they reached their destination. One thing was certain, there was nothing in the world that would make Samantha Gelding abandon her brother.

The chain jerked, as if trying to rock Sam off but she held on tight, pressing down with as much force as she could to keep the angle too steep for the chain to retract past the teeth.

The mouser tank passed a tunnel opening. Sam looked down it, trying to find some hope or an idea in the unlit shadows. Instead she saw a pair of reflective eyes and heard an animalistic roar that registered so loudly it nearly drowned out the chain and the claw scraping over the stone and low enough that Sam felt the vibrations in her gut.


	55. Capture

* * *

I do not own the TMNT

* * *

Chapter Fifty-five; Capture

* * *

Before Sam had time to scream the creature attacked. It leapt from the darkened tunnel and seized the chain between Sam and the machine. With a mighty pull something in the machine snapped and the chain came loose.

The mouser tank rolled back far enough to uncover the light from another fixture and give Sam a full view of their savior. "Leatherhead!" She shouted, relieved.

"AAAAAUGH!" Travis shouted, not relieved.

The mutant crocodile turned. "Samantha, are you and your brother unharmed?" He asked, aware of Travis from Donatello's e-mails but unaware of the secret.

"I knew it!" Travis whooped, throwing a fist in the air despite his odd position in the large metal claw. He seemed to have recovered from his initial shock at seeing the giant mutant.

_Clank_

"Look Out!" Both Geldings shouted the warning just in time for Leatherhead to turn to meet the claw that shot out at him. It struck him dead on but his mass kept it from moving further. The four prongs closed, binding his arms to his sides. Another growl came from his throat as Leatherhead braced his feet, fighting when the chain attempted to retract. Gears in the mouser tank ground loudly trying to pull the mutant off his feet but failing even when the treads reversed.

Sam quickly stood and hurried to her brother's side. She examined the main body of the claw, trying to determine how to make it release. Now that Sam was up close to the thing she saw that it was made up of powerful but shoddy workmanship, as if it had been assembled with very little time. The inner workings of the claw were exposed in a number of areas, easily disassembled if someone had the know-how.

Machines, however, were not Sam's strength… but maybe…

Standing and turning on the spot Sam finally located a loose brick nearby and grabbed it. Using the brick she picked one of the open areas of the claw's mechanisms and struck it repetitively. Finally something cracked and the prongs' hold on Travis loosened enough for Travis to squeeze free.

Travis tried to speak but Sam interrupted him. "Run back to the lair, use the scratches on the bottom of the tunnels so you don't get lost. Find a hammer in Donnie's lab and free Master Splinter." She ordered.

"But-"

"_Now_ Travis!" Sam snapped. She took the brick and hurried back to where Leatherhead was beginning to lose the battle of strength against the mouser tank.

Jumping slightly and hoping she wasn't hurting him, Sam grabbed the higher prong of the claw and pulled herself up.

"Samantha! What are you doing?" Leatherhead's words came out in a growl as he continued to fight the tank, trying to adjust to her sudden weight and use it to his advantage.

Instead of answering Sam aimed at the claw's workings and started pounding the brick against it. With both the target and Leatherhead moving and jerking her aim was worse and it was harder to get a good hit in. Suddenly Leatherhead stumbled and lost several feet of space before he regained his footing on the tunnel floor. A smaller hand with another chunk of brick struck the claw's mechanism from the other side.

Before Sam could argue and again order her brother to try and free Splinter the mouser tank again clanked. Sam looked up just in time to realize that this time the launched claw was headed straight for her.

"Look Out!!" Travis shouted, just as the claw hit Samantha, knocking her away from Leatherhead before snapping shut around her.

* * *

An alarm sounded. Stockman noted the readings from the last capture and grinned. Just slightly heavier than his last readings, but other than that everything was confirmed.

Specimen T-5 was his again.

If only circumstances had not shifted against him in the last twenty-four hours.

* * *

Samantha tried to fight the claw, but there was nothing she or anyone else could do when it suddenly released Leatherhead's chain and pulled her towards the opening in the tank.

"SAM!" Travis hollered. He jumped off of the stumbling crocodile and tried to run forward, to jump on the chain like Sam had done for him but the tank moved too quickly and soon was far out of sight down the tunnels. "**_SAM!_**"


	56. Project T4 returns

* * *

I do not own the TMNT

* * *

Chapter fifty-six; T-5 returns.

* * *

The sound of stone on metal echoed through the sewers.

Travis clutched a large chunk of brick in one hand and struck at the part of the claw that Sam had been hitting before she'd been caught. The knuckles of his hand were bleeding from being scraped over the metal but he paid no attention as he furiously struck at the claw, determined. Tears streamed down his cheeks, occasionally dripping either on the giant mutant or the metal. He was also getting angrier with every hit. Sam had freed him like this, why couldn't Travis do the same?

"Travis." The crocodile addressed him. Although he spoke softly Travis could feel its voice vibrating in his chest. "You must calm down."

Angrily Travis shook his head. "I have to get you out of here, and we have to save Mister Splinter like Sam told me to." He struck with the brick again.

"Travis." Leatherhead repeated, slightly more sternly this time. "I need you to do as I say now. Stop."

Travis lifted the brick to strike again, but slowly he lowered his hand.

"Good, now close your eyes." Travis eyed the large mutant questioningly but when the reptile gave him a look Travis did as he was told. As his body automatically began to relax he hiccupped. "Take a deep breath." Again Travis obeyed, his small chest filling with air and his nose wrinkling slightly against the stench of the sewers around them.

As he slowly exhaled Travis opened his eyes. Rather than desperate anger they now looked lost, questioningly and –worst of all for a child- on the verge of losing hope. "Sam's going to be okay, right?" He asked, his voice cracking before he again hiccupped.

Leatherhead nodded. "Of course. Your sister is very strong."

Much calmer now, Travis again picked up the brick and focused on the claw holding Leatherhead. Now that he wasn't letting his emotions get the best of him he was able to focus and in a moment realized the best way to hit the machine. Within a single minute Leatherhead was free. Quickly the mutant stood and lifted the human boy onto his shoulders and began hurrying through the tunnels toward the lair.

* * *

The large stone entrance which led from the sewer tunnels into Oroku Saki's tower ground open to reveal the mouser tank. It wheeled into the room filled with various large vehicles before stopping. Behind it the stone doors once again ground shut. After a moment the mouser tank's mouth opened and two foot ninja leapt up to collect its cargo, only to jump back to avoid being disemboweled when a blade swung at their midsections.

Samantha jumped out of the tank with the ax she'd stolen from this very building in hand and the look on her face making it clear that she was far more ready to fight her way out this time than last. She saw Stockman in the corner and gripped her ax in both hands in a silent threat before glancing around her to make sure no more of the foot ninja were trying to sneak up on her. Neither the mad scientist in the wheelchair nor the foot soldiers made any move to step closer to her. However, a third party did not hesitate.

It appeared to be a man in a strange suit of armor. He was about as tall as Casey Jones and if the armor was any indication he could cut a very imposing figure even without the metal. "So it is true Stockman, you did succeed in creating another of the turtle freaks."

Something about the distorted voice of the man bothered Sam. As she tried to figure out what it was Stockman replied, "Nearly. The final infusions were never administered so the process is not complete, as made clear by the retaining of mammalian features."

He would have continued, but the man in the metal suit stepped forward, striding easily up to Sam. Samantha braced herself and held up the ax, prepped to attack. "Back off." She snarled. She didn't know who or what the man in the armor was, but her gut told her that he was far more dangerous to her than even Stockman.

"The newest freak has spirit." The man sounded amused. "Tell me," He goaded. "If you are not yet a turtle, and you are no longer Samantha Gelding, who and what are you?" Samantha froze. Her previously vicious attitude dropped into complete shock.

He knew her name.

Her temporary stupor broke when he stepped forward again. Quickly Sam stepped back, again taking a defensive stance. "I don't know how you know my name, but I'm warning you; don't come any closer." Behind his helmet the man's eyes reacted slightly, as if in amusement. Purposefully, he stepped forward. Samantha stepped back quickly, gritting her teeth and mentally preparing herself for her next move.

He stepped forward. Sam swung as hard as she could muster, throwing everything into it but the man stepped back, forcing her to miss and even more surprising; he caught the handle. After his hand closed around the wood it barely budged another inch despite being in full motion at the time.

Before Sam had time to gasp the foot soldiers closed in. Seizing Sam's arms. "NO!" She tried to pull away, kicking out and yanking free of the hands that grabbed at her but despite her best efforts she soon had her feet kicked out from under her and she hit the cold metal floor hard. Although she still fought Sam felt the air pushed out of her when one of the ninja jumped on her shell and still more pinned her arms and legs. "_NO_!" Sam snarled, furious and increasingly hopeless. Looking up she was able to see Stockman wheel his chair next to the man in the metal armor, then her vision was obscured as another ninja stepped in front of her. The stab of a needle entered her shoulder and Sam screamed, redoubling her efforts to get free even as something cold spread over her shoulder and the room started to spin.

Soon she could fight no longer. One by one the ninja holding her backed away until she lay alone on the floor unable to move. "no." Sam murmured helplessly. Hot tears spilled onto the chilly floor before she completely lost consciousness.


	57. Gelding Women

* * *

I do not own the TMNT

* * *

Chapter fifty-seven; Gelding Women

* * *

Without warning the Foot clan retreated, leaving the turtles and Patricia Gelding alone on the roof of the building, the sun still high overhead.

For a moment or two the turtles looked around, confused by this sudden turn of events. Patricia tilted her head, as confused by the sudden silence as the turtles were by the clan's actions. "That didn't feel like winning." Mikey said, the free links of his nunchucku swinging to a bewildered stop.

Leo signaled for his brothers to regroup before ordering, "We need to get Mrs. Gelding to the battle shell. Raph, you got her?"

Raph smirked, his amusement at the question confusing Leo. "Yeah, I got her." Although Leo didn't have a clue what Raph's hidden meaning was, Mikey and Don were smiling slightly themselves. They too had noticed Leo's recent tendency to do more of the heavy lifting… especially around a certain new friend of theirs…

"Right, let's go." Leo ordered, still confused as to why his brothers were so entertained. With that they started for the fire escape, the three brothers moving into a defensive formation around Raph and Mrs. Gelding.

They were halfway to the ground when Leo's shell cell went off. He quickly answered it and frowned at what he heard. After a moment he nodded. "We're on our way LH." Leo answered quickly before hanging up. Quickly he told his brothers, "Change of plans, we're dropping Mrs. Gelding off at the nearest police station and then we're needed back at the lair."

In Raph's arms as they hurried downwards Patricia Gelding frowned. The audio on the leader's phone had been abnormally quite, but with her rescuers being even more silent she was sure she could pick up a couple words. Patricia was certain she'd heard Travis' name… and she was almost as certain that she'd heard Samantha's.

* * *

"Miss Gelding?"

Laura looked up. "Gelding was my maiden name." She corrected, "But yes?"

The officer looked solemn. "I'm sorry. We've thoroughly searched the neighborhood around your brother's apartment. There remains no trace of your nephew or sister-in-law."

"So what now?"

The officer began to explain what they were doing. Amber alert for Travis and an All Police Bulletin on both of the missing Geldings. It didn't sound like enough, but Laura knew it was all they could do. While the officer ran through the statistics and the chances that Patricia and Travis were both safe and likely in hiding somewhere Laura tuned him out and stared at the foot of her brother's hospital bed. It was sterile metal, so clean she could almost see herself reflected in it. She didn't need to see herself right now to know what she looked like. Her last trip to the restroom had revealed grey hairs. The night before, less than twenty-four hours ago it had been a solid brown just a few shades different from her brother and his kids'. Now she had more than one solid grey strands.

And frown lines on either side of her mouth that wouldn't be going away.

"Ma'am?" The police officer asked, not for the first time.

Finally Laura looked up again. "Yes?"

"Ma'am, in light of the vanishings of your sister-in-law, your nephew as well as your niece several months back, coupled with the attack on yourself and your brother, we would like to place security on both the hospital room and yourself. It is still being decided whether or not your husband may need protection."

Laura blinked. "You mean… you think we may still be in danger?" She asked. The officer simply nodded.

The information took a moment to sink in. First Samantha on her way home… then Travis at his friend's house and now last night… ninja… and those turtle _**things**_ that had saved her…

Closing her eyes, Laura took a deep breath.

And another…

And then she completely broke down.

Despite the sound of his baby sister sobbing and the cop trying to both comfort her and call Laura's husband; Brandon Gelding lay quietly sleeping on his bed.

* * *

A tug at her wrists and the ropes suddenly loosened, slackening and falling off. Immediately Patricia tore off the blindfold and spun to confront her rescuers, demand to know what was going on, how and why her children were involved and whether her husband was safe.

All she saw was the busy traffic of New York City.

Frantically Patricia looked around for anything out of place. A large car, people standing out in their attempts to blend in, a group of four men or boys. Nothing. There was nothing out of the ordinary save for the cut ropes at her feet.

Eventually Patricia made a full rotation until she saw the police station in front of the sidewalk she'd been left on. Somehow her rescuers had managed to drop a bound and blindfolded woman right in front of a police station and no one was so much as casting a glance in her direction.

Still clutching the blindfold in her hand should it prove useful as evidence, Patricia glared around at the city once more before hurrying into the station. She was going to get some answers and if she didn't the entire city would learn just what an angry mother with a law degree could do.


	58. Back to the Beginning

* * *

I do not own the TMNT

* * *

Chapter fifty-eight; Back to the Beginning.

* * *

The lair was not welcoming sight.

The main door lay several yards from where it was supposed to be and was clearly beyond repair. The far wall sported a great deal of damage from where the claws had repetitively embedded themselves and been torn out. Anything between the doorway and the various locations the claws had struck was destroyed and the rubble scattered. One chain and claw lay where it had come to rest after being separated from the mouser tank.

In the middle of the rubble Travis stood wearing clothes he'd been given from April's store merchandise. An old backpack hung over his shoulders containing the pajamas he'd been wearing two nights before and in his arms he clutched the worn and patched Alf doll. He held the doll carefully so as to avoid pricking himself on the still-threaded needle tucked next to where the repairs had come to a stop just over an hour before. Flanking the boy on either side was a solemn Leatherhead, sporting darkening patches where bruises were showing through his toughened skin and scales, and Master Splinter who leaned a little more heavily on his walking stick than had been necessary when he'd bid his sons good fortune on their rescue mission.

As soon as the turtles came into sight Travis ran forward. He threw himself at Michelangelo and held on for dear life. "You have to save her!" He begged, bursting into tears as his did so.

"Hey, hey there." Mikey soothed. "We'll get her back." He pasted on a grin, "After all, hero stuff is what we do. You're mom's safe now, Pat will be too."

Travis didn't look up; he just sniffed and shook his head against Mikey's plastron. "Sam, I know she's Sam." The boy corrected. The turtles exchanged looks, then looked to Master Splinter and Leatherhead for an explanation. Master Splinter looked smug, Leatherhead shrugged, a little sheepishly.

Leonardo stepped forward, placing a hand on Travis' shoulder. Slowly the boy looked up. Leo looked stern. "We'll get her back." He said. Travis nodded, but continued to cling to Mikey.

Donatello had already moved over to the claw on the floor and was examining it. "The workmanship on this is familiar; is a little shabby." He announced. Looking up to Leatherhead he asked, "You saw the machine, was it Stockman's?"

Leatherhead nodded. "The resemblance to Stockman's preferred design was undeniable."

"Then we know where ta find her." Raph growled, hands on his sais tightening in anticipation of the coming battle, despite the blood still drying from cuts he's received in the last fight.

"At Oroku tower." Donnie reminded him, "Remember? The one with all the Foot ninja."

Mikey gently pulled Travis away and pushed him toward Master Splinter. "Bring it on."

Raph gawked at Mikey for a moment, then grinned. "Finally, ya see things my way."

Donnie headed for his lab. "Just let me restock my bag."

Leo nodded, "Good." Turning to Leatherhead he asked, "Could Travis and Master Splinter stay at your place?"

The giant mutant placed a hand on Travis's shoulder. "Of course Leonardo."

* * *

"Excellent." Stockman crooned to himself, not bothering to keep his voice down despite Shredder standing right next to him.

"According to my analysis, her DNA is still in an active mutation stage. A single infusion of genetic transposition enzymes should have everything ready to resume where I'd been forced to leave off. In fact, her extended recovery time makes this an advantage. Most excellent." The scientist was far too pleased at this point to care that Shredder now knew and could enforce control, surely he would permit the completion of the project?

"And you are certain that upon completion her system will correspond with the other turtles?" Shredder demanded, his voice issuing a threat with the question.

"Of course, of course." Stockman essentially waved the question off as a non-issue, "The process will be done within the week, I'm sure the testing after that period is what you're really interested."

Clearly shredder did not care for his attitude, but over time he had learned to deal with it… to a point. "For once it seems that your plan might succeed; but I warn you Stockman: if it does not you can be assured that you will never have the kind of freedom necessary to make such a mistake again."

This threat had its intended result. For once Stockman cut back on the remarks and reached for the mike. Pressing the button he ordered the assistants attending T-5. "Set up an IV set. Prepare to administer fluids."

On the monitor in front of him Stockman watched as the white-coated young men and women scurried to collect the IV set and swab the skin of T-5's arm. She was sedated and restrained securely above and below the location chosen for the catheter so the assistant that stepped forward to insert the catheter moved with confidence. The needle was removed from its sterile packaging and moved over to the skin.

No sooner had the needle touched the skin than the specimen jerked, pulling the target away from the needle despite the restraints. Immediately the other assistants hurried to provide assistance and it wasn't long before the unconscious mutant was physically held until the catheter could be inserted and taped into place.

"Interesting." Stockman noted while the technicians hurried to connect the IV setup. "Very interesting." Beneath his glasses a slight curl of his lip revealed more sadistic than scientific interest.


	59. Time Table

* * *

I do not own the TMNT

* * *

Chapter fifty-nine; Time table

* * *

"April, can you get in? Good, we'll stay in touch." Donnie communicated over one of the headsets that he included in each of the shell cells. He turned to Leo and gave him a thumbs up.

Leo nodded and quickly glanced to the rest of his team. Raph looked impatient to get moving. Mikey was giving Travis a last minute hug and assuring the boy that everything would work out. Master Splinter stood with Leatherhead, both looked stern and with good reason.

"Alright, as soon as we're ready." Leo announced.

Travis left Mikey and hurried over to Leatherhead and Master Splinter. Mikey stood up from where he'd been crouched and nodded. Donnie ran a thumb under the strap of his bag to make it rest more comfortably across his shoulder. Raph shifted his hands from the handles of his weapons to his belt, almost as if the wait being over helped him to relax.

"Good." Leo nodded to his brothers and teammates before turning to Master Splinter.

Their sensei nodded stiffly. There was nothing to say now that had not been said earlier that day, save it was now their friend whom they went to save rather than her mother.

In silence the four turned and left Leatherhead's home. It wasn't until they had moved into the tunnels and likely out of hearing range that Travis sniffed. "Be careful."

* * *

Cold air drifted over Sam's skin. There was light drifting into her field of vision despite the fact that she was lying on her stomach. Panic and pain boiled in her throat as she jolted to an upright position.

White walls, not stone. Cold, sterile, white walls. Slowly Samantha lifted a hand and though it trembled with fear she reached out until her fingers pressed against the slick, chilled surface. "No." Her voice scratched against a dry throat and the residual taste of the tranquilizer she'd been injected with. "No."

It was real. Suddenly the events of the last couple of months faded to the consistency of a dream. She was once again trapped. The clothing April had graciously given her; the gloves, belt, sandals and even the strange sleeves were gone. Her arm now sported a small bandage covering the familiar clean wound from a catheter. The only sign that she had ever escaped came in the scars she'd gained and a single cuff clasped about her wrist. The cuff was attached to a chain that was secured to the bed. Sam knew from experience that the bed wouldn't move.

Slowly Sam climbed off the bed and moved as far as the chain would allow her. She could use the toilet and the sink, but it pulled tight just before she could touch the door. Pathetically she reached for it. Just hours before she'd been _free_ and now…

Her best efforts brought her just close enough to the door for her fingertips to brush what felt like a new coat of paint.

Stepping back until the chain clinked on the floor, Sam stared at the door.

Everything had been a waste. Everything. The disk this was all because of, the Foot had it by now. They'd gone after her family, terrorizing them, hurting them, and she hadn't been able to stop them nor keep the disk from them. Her family's apartment had been destroyed. Sam hadn't even been aware. Her little brother had been attacked, twice, and his big sister couldn't protect him. Her father and her aunt had been attacked and injured, Sam couldn't warn them. A man had secretly taken over the city and now basically ran anything he chose, including the government, and Sam had _admired_ him.

She had escaped and now…

Now she didn't even know if her mother was safe or not.

As the minutes passed Samantha's gaze fell to the floor. Her gut churned with anger, frustration, desperation and even pure veins of hate. As the pressure built her fingers tightened into fists. Tighter and tighter they squeezed until the muscles flexing in her wrist were constricted by the metal cuff. In order to do anything to Sam they would have to disconnect her from the bed, and Sam swore that when that happened this would end.

* * *

The creature was terrified, its will further damaged than its body so much so that it no longer bothered to inspect the food that was offered.

Clearly subject T-5 was faring better with the genetic alterations than any of the rats that survived the mutation. Some of the rats had died before the mutation reached the critical stage, most of the remaining had not survived past that point. When the mutation had reached maximum effect only three of the original twenty-five survived. In the month since T-5 had escaped two more had died simply from lack of will to live. The last one probably wouldn't last the day.

The jewel of Stockman's experiment stood in her room as was clearly depicted on the monitor. It was clear that she had no intention of curling up in a corner and allowing herself to die as easily as R-14 was even now.

Stockman looked forward to comparing tissue and blood samples to see if this was due to the difference between human and rodent DNA, the vastly different psyche of the two species or perhaps the girl's own unique personality.

As seemed to occur throughout the experiment, the effects of the previous infusion hit both subjects at approximately the same time. In her room the girl's stubborn body language gave way to one of extreme discomfort. Her sentience and upbringing led her to retreat to the toilet before she lost control of her stomach. In its cage the rat shuddered and retched, a sensation likely made all the more difficult for the small creature due to its refusal to eat.

Within fifteen minutes the symptoms had faded for both specimens, however, while the girl cleaned her face at the sink Stockman was forced to call one of his assistants to perform a necropsy on the rat.

While the young man in the white coat cleaned out the last of the cages Stockman considered for a moment before nodding to himself in approval of his plan. "When you're finished with that, tell Dr. Duran to prep the surgical room. I've decided to move up the timetable on the experiment."


	60. Gassed

* * *

I do not own the TMNT

* * *

Chapter Sixty; Gassed

* * *

The taste of bile lurked heavily in the back of Sam's throat. Chills ran over her skin like a light frozen blanket. Somewhere back in the back of her thoughts she wondered if the nausea in her stomach was from something they'd done to her while she was asleep, or from simply being back here again. Considering the bandage on her arm, they'd probably given her one of those infusions again.

Someone at the door. The handle turned and opened to reveal not the assistants, but ninja.

"What?" Sam muttered, dumbfounded. Why did they need ninja to bring her food? She was chained up!

The ninja stepped inside the room and Sam saw that they carried no food. This was wrong, it was days, weeks before they dragged her out of the room after an infusion, what were they doing here already?

One of the ninja approached her, instinctively Sam backed up until the back of her legs hit the bed. The ninja kept coming at her. He reached for her and Sam swung, attempting to punch him the way Master Splinter had taught her and like Raphael had taught Travis, '_get in a early swing, first if ya can help it._'

The ninja caught her wrist easily and with a single twist forced Sam to turn around as her arm was pinned behind her shell. At first Sam gasped at the shock of movement on her still queasy stomach and pain from her shoulder, then she tried to fight. Unfortunately she had no idea what to do and was basically helpless. The wrist with the chain was held and a slight click and significant lightness informed her that the chain had been removed from the cuff. She tried fighting some more, pulling away or twisting free, but the grip on her hands was too strong.

The ninja holding her pulled her back and pain tore through Sam's shoulder before she followed. Next thing she knew a cloth was pressed over her mouth. The smell was vaguely minty and it clouded Sam's head up, reducing her struggles. The hand with the cloth remained firmly clamped over her mouth as Sam was led through the door into the hallway where two other ninja waited, but were not needed.

Somewhere in the addled fog of Sam's mind she managed a clear thought. _Not good…_

* * *

"_Alright guys, there's a small entrance to you're right, it should be right between a gas main and an electrical conduit._"

Following April's directions Donatello looked to his right. Sure enough pipes and an electrical conduit came out of that side of the tunnel. Otherwise it appeared to be a very smooth section of concrete. "Got it April." Donnie replied as quietly as possible. "Any idea how to get into the entrance itself?"

"_No, sorry._" April replied, over the headset Donnie was wearing she sounded genuinely apologetic that the Foot clan had left detailed instructions out of their secret blueprints.

"It's alright April, I'm sure we'll find it." Donnie assured her confidently. He then muted his end of their connection. "Aw shell."

Mikey leaned close to the smooth wall. "So… there's supposed to be a door here?" He asked skeptically.

Donnie sighed. "Yeah, there is, but there's a good chance it can only be opened by remote or from the inside or..." He shrugged. The plans April had been able to hack into were only partial. She was lucky to find this entrance at all.

Meanwhile Mikey was staring at the smooth concrete surface. "So…" He mumbled, "Between the gas pipe and the electricity thingy?" He asked.

Donnie was slightly distracted when Leo made a gesture like he'd noticed something. Raph was standing nearby glaring at the wall like he was just going to run through it. "Yeah, that's what April said." Don confirmed.

"Cool… so, which one's gas and which one's water?"

"Gas and _electrical_." Donnie corrected.

Mikey stepped forward, pointing to the two pipes situated a short distance from the electrical conduit April had mentioned. "But there's two pipes here." He pointed out.

Donnie blinked and stepped closer to the pipe he'd seen. Sure enough there was a smaller one beside it. For most people the pipe would be inconspicuous, but in truth it was too small to supply anything to the skyscrapers and towers located in this part of the city. "That may just be our way in." Donnie said.

* * *

…_I need air… clean air… need air…_

Samantha managed to struggle a little but she put up less resistance than a kitten. When she'd tried to just stop walking one of the ninja not holding the cloth over her face simply picked her up and between the two of them and whatever drug was in the cloth Sam was essentially helpless.

_…need air… clean air…_

Sam's fuzzy mind barely whispered this mantra. Whatever was left of her ability to think was distracted with the fact that she no longer recognized where they were taking her. The drug in the cloth was too strong for this new information to cause her alarm.

The drug was getting to be too much. Sam felt her eyes drifting shut and the next thing she was aware of was cold metal on her skin. With a short screech She jerked, instinctively fighting the sudden sensation. Much to her surprise she fell off of something and landed on the floor. Instinct took over and while her body fought to shake off the last of the drug Sam scrambled under what she had been on and grabbed something to brace herself with.

As her mind cleared Sam realized she was under some kind of medical table permanently attached to the floor, it was the single support that she now clung to. One of the ninja tried to reach under the table to grab her, he got a harsh kick to the face for his efforts. One edge of Sam's mouth lifted slightly as she recalled another of Raphael's lessons.

'_Yeah, yer short. Don't tell nobody but I am to, so are my bros. Use it, leanin' down to get at'cha makes things harder for the other guy. So if yer fightin' someone, get low… yeah, like that._'

Samantha lashed out again, kicking hard at a knee. The ninja went down and crashed into something, several surgical tools hit the floor. A scalpel handle skidded over to where Sam was. She swallowed, nothing they had done to her before required a scalpel, what had Stockman been planning?


	61. Game Plan

* * *

I do not own the TMNT

* * *

Chapter Sixty-one; Game Plan

* * *

"Travis?" Leatherhead asked softly. "Are you hungry?"

Due to all the excitement surrounding the rescue, the attack, and the capture; lunch had been completely forgotten and by now it was evening.

But Travis was not hungry. He shook his head and said a polite "No, thank you." Before turning back to face the doorway the turtles had left through nearly two hours before. "Not hungry."

Leatherhead glanced helplessly to Master Splinter, who just shook his head. It was clear to them that Travis was determined to wait until the turtles got back with his sister. What Travis didn't know was that a mission like the one the turtles were currently undertaking could easily last many hours, even a couple days. For the moment it was best to leave him. When he was finally hungry enough to notice it over his fears, the boy would eat. Until then his nerves would keep him so keyed up that anything he did eat would likely come right back up again.

Until then he would continue to sit on the stone floor staring at the door and cuddling the Alf doll.

* * *

"Going up." Donnie announced. He quickly moved over to where his brothers were waiting. They reached through the emergency exit at the top of the elevator and pulled Donatello up and through. "Next stop, tenth floor." He told them.

"And is that where Sam is?" Leo asked.

Donnie nodded as she put the hatch back over the emergency exit. "It's likely. Stockman has two floors for his personal usage; ten and eleven. I'm convinced Sam is on one of those two."

"Good."

The elevator moved briskly, carrying them past several marks where the elevator shaft appeared to be damaged, out of the basement and up. At the ground floor the car stopped, took on a few passengers, then continued upwards. The car stopped again at level five, six, and eight before it finally rose to the tenth floor. Quickly the brothers climbed through a small maintenance door and into a room holding several large pipes, shafts and bundles of wires.

"Alright. Look for a security room or something to monitor the hallways with. Keep out of sight of the cameras and if anyone finds Sam, phone the others and bail out immediately, understood?" Leo asked.

His brothers nodded.

"Then let's go."

* * *

Hands seized Sam's shoulders from behind. She immediately lashed out and swung a fist around until it slammed into the side of her assailant's skull. When she pulled her hand back the scalpel handle in her hand sported blood, proving the tool to be of more use than initially expected.

Unfortunately, even if she could hold her own under the surgical table Sam knew that her position would prove useless if she had to fight for too long. She was not feeling well, the symptoms of whatever they had put in her were kicking up again, slowing her reflexes and any second threatening to compromise her strength. Even before she grew too tired, how long would it be before they called for some help? Somehow Sam had to get out but she had no idea how.

Something swung under the table and wrapped around Sam's wrist, clinking as it spun tightly over the cuff. Before Sam could even register what the chain might be it was pulled back and Sam was jerked out from under the table and into the open.

As soon as she was out the two ninja not working the chain tried to jump on her and pin her like when she'd first climbed out of the mouser tank. They hadn't expected that she'd come skidding out on her shell. The first ninja missed her completely as she slid further than expected, the second was kicked in the face with enough force to knock him back up against, and then over, the surgical table.

Sam grabbed the chain wrapped around her wrist and yanked at it hard. The ninja that had been using the weapon fell forward and Sam used her feet to throw him at the ninja who had tried to jump on her and was now standing. The chain around her wrist went taught as its user went flying, then slack when the ninja crashed into his companion. Quickly Sam unwound the chain from her wrist as she stood, then made a run for the door.

In the hall she hesitated for only a moment before turning to her right and running. When a turn came up Sam took it and ran down the hall until she came upon an open door. Darting inside, Sam looked around for something she could use as a weapon, anything. Fortunately she'd run into a simple broom closet. Some maintenance worker had probably figured there was nothing in the closet worth locking up while he did whatever it was he had to do.

A grim smile came to her as Samantha searched through the shelves for things of use. A mop head was easily broken off, making for a staff with a dangerous tip of sharp, splintered wood. Hidden in a spare uniform was a keycard, worn and striped from use, but probably still effective. Sam looped the lanyard attached to the card around her neck.

Suddenly she stiffened, her fingers staying at her throat.

The locket!… how had she not missed the locket? Illogically Sam cast about for something in the maintenance closet that might give her a clue as to what happened to it. Finally she shook her head and gripped the mop handle. Her grandmother had told her to take care of her family, and she didn't need an heirloom to remember that.

Head held high, senses alert and adrenalin pumping, Sam headed out of the closet. The slight unexplained crawling sensation and vague cramping in her spine only served reminders of the last time she'd been in the tower and added fuel to her system.

Down a hall, around a corner a door opened right in front of Samantha and a skinny man in a white coat stepped out. He saw Sam and gasped, turning to run back into the room, but Sam ran forward and jutted her makeshift staff in front of him. The man stumbled back and even whimpered slightly. Quickly Sam swung her staff, hitting him full in the face with the hardened wood. A moment later he slumped to the floor, not quite unconscious and groaning faintly.

"Don't move." Sam growled, quickly searching the man and found another keycard. She hooked this one on the lanyard with the first and hurried down the hallway. She wasn't familiar with where she was, but even if she were it wouldn't have changed her random direction choice.

This time her goal was not to escape.


	62. Something in the Air

* * *

I do not own the TMNT

* * *

Chapter Sixty-two; Something in the Air

* * *

"Lady Karai?" Reiko asked, not sure why she'd been called to Karai's personal office. Considering the timing Reiko had entertained the thought that it might be related to the Disk, but as that mission was effectively over it wasn't likely that Karai was suddenly interested in a mission she hadn't participated in after it was completed.

Karai looked up from her computer monitor. "Reiko-san." She greeted her guest. The women were of about the same age and over the years had had many lessons together as well as their current interactions. They had spent enough time together to gain some level of familiarity with each other, if not necessarily trust. "I wished to speak with you about the woman you released earlier today."

"Master Shredder allowed it." Reiko said, defending herself without need.

"Understood. I merely wish to discuss something noted by one of the guards when taking his watch. I have the report…" Karai glanced down at the desk, frowned and opened the top drawer. "Odd…" She murmured. After a moment she seemed to remember. "I must apologize Reiko-san. It seems I have left the report in another room. I will return momentarily." With a slight nod she left the office.

Reiko stood quietly, intrigued by the light she saw on the wall behind Karai's desk. The light clearly indicated that the screen had been left on, something Master Shredder would never have done. A moment's consideration was necessary.

Karai was very meticulous in all things, from her expression and tone of voice at all times to things as important as a report she wished to make use of. She especially would not be careless enough to leave a monitor on when another was alone in her office, which meant one thing…

By the time Karai returned to the office Reiko was standing in the middle of the floor, as if she had never moved. But Karai knew better.

* * *

Stockman frowned at the security monitors. "Annoying little thing, aren't you?" He asked the image of T-5 as she marched through the halls of his research labs.

There was a difference in her behavior Stockman didn't miss. She walked with a solid determination this time, not a panicked sprint. Whereas the last time she'd escaped the girl had clearly been exhausted and the mutation had been making her increasingly ill, this time she was healthy and relatively undistracted from whatever plan had formed in her mind. What that plan was exactly; Stockman couldn't be sure. Project T-5 did not activate any of the computers she came across.

She came to a science lab and only seemed to hesitate for a few moments before she ran into the empty room. The lab technicians, assistants and interns had been told to avoid her; she'd injured one man and the others likely wouldn't be able to defend themselves either. As for the foot ninja, they stood at the ready waiting for Stockman to reverse his orders to hold back. He wanted to know what this girl was up to.

The door behind Stockman opened and he paid it no attention until an angry voice snarled. "Stockman!"

The mad doctor didn't so much at turn his head. "Not now Reiko, I'm trying to figure out a puzzle."

Suddenly the back of his chair tipped and with surprising strength for a woman Reiko spun the wheelchair around. "_Yes_ now. How many times have I told you to stay away from my bodies?" The woman, though of no exceptional height or size for one of Asian heritage, was intimidating in her fury alone. "I have told you, time and time again, to stay away from there!"

Stockman was nonplussed. "I have stayed away from your ninja." He said, then tried to turn the chair around to face the monitors again. Suddenly he was hauled entirely out of his chair by the two additional ninja accompanying Reiko. They turned Stockman to face Reiko, who still looked angry enough to tear his throat out with her teeth. "_My_ bodies," Reiko snarled. "are not all be ninja. The girl had been through enough when I was done with her, for you to take her and put her through that… that…" She spat a phrase in Japanese that made Stockman frown.

"My dear Reiko-san- you literally tortured the girl. Why should you care what I do to your victims when you're through with them?"

A hand lashed out, slapping Stockman with enough force that his head jerked to the side, leaving his skin livid and no doubt that there would be a significant bruise. The blow had been hard enough that he could feel the force extending to his neck.

"I'm warning you one last time Stockman. Had the Master not already become interested in your little project before I found out, I would kill you and the girl here and now. One more time, one more request, one more joke, about any of my bodies, and I _will kill_ you."

With a sharp order from Reiko the two ninja dropped Stockman, letting him fall helplessly to the floor.

Stockman watched disdainfully as the ninja left. He despised working with them but employment and funds were somewhat hard to come by for someone with his criminal record. Slowly Stockman pushed himself to a seated position, then crawled to his chair. By the time he'd returned to viewing the monitors he could see the girl was coming out of a different lab.

"What are you looking for?" Stockman asked.

On the monitor the girl moved down the hall from one doorway to the next. Past an office, past a filing area that was left open, past another computer terminal. Stockman watched her with interest as she passed the computers without so much as a second glance. The turtle with the purple mask was attracted to the computers like a fly to honey and he'd been under the impression that this girl was reasonably educated and intelligent, what was she up to?

Finally the girl slid one of her keycards through a lock and opened another specimen lab. She didn't flinch as she marched inside, past tubes of preserved experiments, probably completely unaware whether or not these were extensions of the experiment focused on herself.

Instead she went straight to the counter in the back, reaching for it.

And the monitor went black.

Stockman sat upright. "What?" He demanded. "NO!" He started working over the keyboard, trying to figure out what had gone wrong. If he couldn't raise the signal in under a minute he would be sending in the ninja.

* * *

"You are experiencing technical difficulties within my control, please stand by." Donatello quipped as he cut another wire. "Security monitoring systems are down Leo." He reported, tucking his tools back into his duffle. After folding the loose ends out of sight, Donnie closed the panel to the electrical box to prevent premature discovery of his tampering.

Leo nodded, then turned to Raph, who was guarding the doors. Raph looked down the hallway before signaling all clear. Mikey had stood just behind Raph. When Raph gave the signal Mikey moved into the hallway, hurrying several yards until he could see around a corner. He too gave the all clear signal and the four brothers continued through the facility.

After making sure Sam was not on the floor they were searching Donnie located a stairwell and they headed up to the next floor. They carefully opened the door to the next level and looked through it.

"Looks clear." Leo confirmed.

"Does anyone else smell somethin'?" Raph asked, his beak wrinkling slightly.

* * *

After finishing in yet another laboratory Sam found another maintenance closet. This one mostly consisted of chemicals. Samantha picked up a large jug of strong cleaning solution and smiled grimly at the small symbol near the bottom of the label. A small part of her chuckled at the irony of how closely this warning symbol resembled the Foot clan's emblem.

Quickly Sam opened the jug and dumped it on the floor, splashing the fluid on the walls and shelves as well. Her plan wasn't concrete, but this could help. Using the last of the cleaning solution Samantha made a trail back to the lab she'd just left.

Just as she was dropping the plastic jug on the floor Sam hear the familiar sound of metal being pulled over metal. There was something about the tone that didn't comfort her in the way Leonardo's swords might. Looking up from her task Sam saw that her free time was finished.

The doorway was filled with ninja, and clearly the hallway outside. One carrying a single sword, one just slightly shorter than a katana, stepped forward, lifting the blade meaningfully as two more took either side, trying to surround Sam.

But Sam would have none of it. She held up her makeshift staff with one hand, then smirked as she held up her real weapon. Even through the ninja masks she could tell they all knew who had the upper hand now.


	63. Rescue?

* * *

I do not own the TMNT

* * *

Chapter Sixty-three; Rescue?

* * *

"Hold up." Leo put up out a hand and stopped his brothers before they came around the corner. In the hallway several Foot ninja were on the move. "Don, is there any way to get ahead of them?"

Behind him Leo could see his brothers were as bothered by the smell as Leo was. It was making them slightly jumpy, the idea of being in the building if there was a spark was making them nervous.

"Follow me; if I remember the setup of this floor correctly we should be able to circumvent them entirely." Donnie opened a door and led them through a large room that was set up with several sinks and counters. There was a faint, untraceable hissing noise in the still room. Don moved and looked at one of the sinks. "Someone opened all the gas valves." He muttered. "But why?"

"Don?" Raph asked.

Donnie nodded, "Right." He quickly moved to the back of the lab and opened a back door. The room on the other side was a closet containing shelves and cabinets filled with scientific equipment, chemicals, lab coats and other general sciency supplies. They hurried along the room, which was long enough to wrap around several rooms the size of the lab. The pattern of supplies seemed to repeat itself near each new door they hurried past.

* * *

Sam stood, hand held high so that all the Foot ninja could see what she held. "That's right, one wrong move and sparks fly. Don't think I won't." She shot a look at a ninja who had tried to sneak past her on the side.

The ninja just stared at her through their masks, waiting to see what Sam would do. It occurred to her that she was doing the exact same thing; waiting to see what would happen. Quickly she reminded herself that right now she was in charge, anything that happened in the next few minutes was entirely dependent on her actions.

Stepping back she cautioned the ninja, "I don't think anyone here really wants to die, but I'm not scared." To emphasize her point Samantha gave the striker in her hand a little shake. A couple of the ninja seemed to flinch. The thing was simple, it looked like a dipper with two handles and a spring in the cup, but if squeezed one of the 'handles' would drag over the spring, creating plenty of sparks to set off the increasing gas in the air.

Samantha continued to step away from the ninja, the hand not holding her immediate weapon held the mop handle angled back to tell her before she backed into anything. Her face and body language were deadly serious and without fear. Her heart was pounding painfully in her chest. _Please…_ she begged silently, _don't make me do it…_

The mop handle clacked softly and shifted, letting her know she'd reached the wall. Sam shifted her hold so she held her staff with two fingers while the other three blindly searched the wall for a door. It took a painfully long time, but finally her fingers recognized the shape of a handle. Quickly she opened the door and stepped back through it, then slammed the door shut and locked it as quickly as she could.

When Sam turned to run she nearly screamed, a hand slapped over her mouth before she made much of a noise and another set of hands grabbed the striker from her before she could accidentally set it off.

* * *

"_Don't_." Donnie grunted and grabbed the device from Sam. Mikey had covered her mouth to prevent her making a noise. After she relaxed slightly Mikey removed his hand.

Sam was staring at them in horror. "_What are you doing here!?_" She hissed.

"_Rescuing you!_" Raph whispered back.

"_What were you doing with this?_" Donnie sounded terrified as he held up the metal device. It took the others longer to recognize it than Don had but they soon realized it was much like the sparker Don used to light his blowtorch.

"_What the…"_ Raph blinked, not liking what happened when he put the idea of all the gas in the air together with Sam holding the 'match'.

"_I…_" Sam started in a small voice that indicated they wouldn't like the answer. "_We should be going._" She turned abruptly and started hurrying through the storage closet. The brothers exchanged confused and concerned looks. After Donnie had carefully set the striker on one of the shelves they hurried after her.

Soon the guys caught up with Sam. Leo grabbed her wrist, intending to get her attention but instead he blinked and looked down at the metal cuff. "What…"

Sam shrugged. "Didn't do them any good." She said, shrugging his concern off.

Leo frowned. This entire situation was putting a bad taste in his mouth, and not just because of the gas. He tightened his grip on her wrist again. "We need to get you out of here."

Sam didn't answer, but she didn't look too pleased by the way the guys surrounded her protectively. She noticed that while Donnie and Mikey had their weapons out Raph and Leo had theirs blades still sheathed. Mikey kept glancing uncomfortably at the links on his nunchucks. It occurred to Sam that the smell might be stronger to them; she'd probably had a little time to get used to it.

Glancing behind, they were soon able to see Foot ninja following them through the elongated storage closet. Rather than remain in the enclosed space, Leo led them through a door, this one led through one of the maintenance closets Sam had raided earlier and then out into the hall. A few scattered foot ninja saw them and started closing in.

"The elevator should be just a few yards in that direction." Donnie said, pointing with one end of his staff as he slid into a stance. Raph stood beside him, ready to help, but still not drawing his sais. They guarded the rear as the ninja attacked. They too seemed to have forgone their blades in favor of wooden weapons.

"Raph!" Sam called, tossing him her weapon. He caught it easily and turned back to the Foot ninja, clearly ready to make full use of the jagged end of the mop handle.

For some reason this amused Donatello. "Told ya." He crowed, countering a strike aimed at his chest.

"Shaddup." Raph growled.

"Keep moving." Leo ordered, giving a light tug on Sam's wrist. Mikey was on point, easily taking down all of the few ninja that came from the direction they were heading. As Don had predicted they soon reached the elevator. A red light was flashing over the control panel. On closer examination the light read 'emergency stop'.

"Don?" Leo called.

Quickly Donnie backed away from the growing number of ninja on that side of the hallway. Mikey left his side to make up for the difference while Donnie handed his staff off to Leo. After Giving Sam a stern look and getting a stubborn one in return Leo went to defend the side Mikey had left open, from the looks of it the ninja had already communicated to each other where their targets were and the numbers on both sides of the hallway kept increasing.

Donatello knelt down in front of the panel and pulled a screwdriver from his bag. Quickly he removed the panel and started working with the wires inside. Behind him, Sam glanced anxiously from where Mikey and Raph were holding their side of the fight to where Leo was beginning to struggle with the growing number of ninja on his side.

Despite the relatively simple wiring job Donnie was doing, the turtle was sweating profusely. He knew he could easily do anything he wanted with the elevator from where he was, but the smell of gas still lingering in the air made him antsy, he did not like working with exposed wires that could spark at any moment. Finally he settled for getting done what he could before his nerves were shot.

The elevator doors opened, with no car on the other side. "Leo, that's it." Donnie announced, an edge to his voice declaring that there would be no more even if Fearless Leader didn't like the job he'd done. He missed the cornered look that suddenly passed over Sam's face when she saw the doors open.

Leo spun the staff in his hands hard, then turned and blinked at the elevator before quickly blocking another staff aimed at his head. "Alright, Don, go." He ordered. Quickly Donnie pulled his bag back on, then jumped into the shaft, grabbing for the thick metal cables in the middle. He quickly shifted so that he could catch Sam.

Sam swallowed, stepping to the edge of the shaft and trying not to look down. "I've got you Sam, just try to make the jump." Donnie encouraged.

"We don't have anything like this in track." Sam muttered, trying to bolster her suddenly absent courage. She stepped back slightly and jumped as well. She caught one of the thick cords but slipped slightly. Donnie grabbed an arm and helped support her until she was sure of her grip. "Got it!" Sam called.

Quickly she and Donnie climbed down, making room for the others. No sooner had they cleared enough room than Raph and Mikey made the jump at the same time, both grabbing a different cable and starting down.

Although Sam kept moving steadily downwards she kept her eyes on the open doorway. "Where's Leo?" She asked when he didn't appear.

"LEO!" Raph shouted, although he sounded angry there was a hint of a question to the world.

"Keep going!" Leo called down. Although they all did as they were told they didn't stop looking for him.

Another second passed and Leo leapt into the shaft, grabbing one of the cables and barely using it to control his decent as he came down. "Down!" He ordered urgently.

An instant later the air pressure in the shaft shifted dramatically and the entire party was deafened by an explosion overhead. Flames rushed through the open door of the elevator shaft, expanding almost a full floor down before retracting slightly and receding to burn in the floor they'd just vacated.

"How did you…?" Raph muttered.

Donatello was livid. "Leonardo! _You_ were the one pilfering my detonators! I thought I was losing my mind!"

Leo had tightened his grip and slowed his descent slightly as he joined up with the rest of the group. "Sorry Don. I'd normally ask but we were in a hurry…" He looked genuinely apologetic. Donnie sighed and shook his head, although an amused smile flitted across his beak.

"Way ta go Leo!" Raph grinned. "It ain't a party until somethin' blows up."

"Totally!" Mikey agreed.

Sam didn't comment, instead she was looking down. "What floor were we on?" She asked nervously.

"You shouldn't look down." Donnie scolded lightly.

"But…" Sam managed before the dark shaft below them was lit by something other than the flames overhead. Just a few floors below them another set of doors opened. Again the air in the shaft shifted, this time allowing oxygen in and causing the fire overhead to swell and the temperature in the shaft to increase.

"Sam, hang on!" Leo ordered as several ninja leapt into the elevator shaft and latched onto the supports in the middle like lithe insects. Samantha was near the bottom, right next to Donnie.

Mikey shifted so he was holding onto a cable neither Sam not Donatello were on. "Whoops." He announced, then eased his grip so that he slid freely down the shaft. Soon he crashed into several of the ninja, knocking several of them off and sending several more jumping back to the safety of the floor they'd just leapt from. "Clumsy me!" Mikey shouted, sounding very pleased with himself as he clung to the metal supports with one arm and a leg and pulled one of his nunchucks out of his belt to fight with.

"Why does he get all the good ideas?" Sam heard Raph ask as he too slid past, dropping down on still more of the ninja.

* * *

XD Any relation of events to Mikell's chapter posted today is merely coincidental and far too funny.


	64. Dead End Elevator

I do not own the TMNT

* * *

Chapter Sixty-four; Dead End Elevator

* * *

By now the shaft was noticeably heating from the fire above. Donatello shifted his grip and wiped each hand in turn on the strap of his duffle, then holding onto the cables again with dry hands. Sam was having similar problems, but had nothing to dry her hand with as her hands grew slick.

"Are you two okay?" Leo asked as he quickly climbed past them.

"Fine." Sam answered quickly, not quite meeting his gaze.

"…Good." Leo didn't sound entirely convinced, but didn't have time to fuss as he carefully pulled Donatello's staff from his belt and returned it to the owner. "We'll try to keep them busy so you two can get past, alright?" He asked anxiously.

His eyes met with Donnie's and before flicking over to Sam. The girl was losing the fight to keep her fear under control and she had to frequently readjust her grip just to keep from sliding down. Don nodded, Leo continued downwards. Once the other three turtles were down Donnie shifted to the side furthest from the doorway. "Alright, we'll have to make this quick." He said. "Let me help you." Sam nodded and tried to move across the cables like Donnie had.

Donnie held out a hand to help her. Sam reached to take it just as her other hand slipped completely. "SAM!" Donnie tried to grab for her, barely missing as she began to fall.

* * *

Leo heard Donnie shout and looked up in time to see that Sam wasn't going to be able to catch anything on the way down; the way she was falling took her just out of reach of the cables in the center of the shaft.

Thanks to years of training under Master Splinter –and actually paying attention- Leo was able to act without consciously forming a plan. Immediately he shifted his hold on the elevator cables, kicking at a Foot ninja that tried to take advantage of his distraction and at just the right moment he pushed off. He caught Sam just under her arms, redirecting her fall slightly so that they both hit the wall, then launched back at the cables. Sam had just enough time to realize what was about to happen before Leo caught one of the cables. Desperately she tried to grab at another one as their combined weight and momentum dragged the cable through Leo's hand.

Finally they both slowed to a stop, several floors below where the Foot clan were trying to get into the elevator shaft and just a few yards above the roof of the elevator car.

"Leo, your hand!" Samantha gasped. She'd managed to grab onto the cables in time to help support their weight, but not in time to prevent the blood now seeping between Leonardo's fingers and running up the cable a fair distance.

"I'm fine." Leo grunted through clenched teeth. His words gained a guilty expression from Sam.

Before anything else could be said Mikey called "Incoming!" Leo and Sam both looked up, Leo quickly threw an arm out and pulled Sam closer to him as another Foot ninja fell a little too near to where she was holding onto the cables.

The minute he released her Sam started climbing rapidly down. "Come on, the car's right there, I'll look at your hand inside.

Leo hesitated, Sam glared up at him. "Do you want me to get Raph to carry you?" She asked. For the first time since they'd run into each other in the storage closet Leo caught a trace of amusement in her eyes.

Before following he looked up. "Guys! We're moving out!" He called.

"Be right down!" "On it!" "A-a-w."

Two more ninja came falling down the shaft, this time neither Leo nor Sam were in any danger of being hit. Quickly they climbed down the shaft. Leo stayed just above Sam, keeping an eye on her and any more falling Foot. Soon Sam climbed off the cables and onto the top of the elevator shaft. She shoved and unconscious Foot soldier out of her way before pulling up the emergency exit.

"I'll help you down." Leo offered, holding out his good hand.

"Forget it." Sam replied. She turned to the ninja she'd just shoved aside and after a moment she came up with his belt. Keeping this in hand she sat on the edge of the emergency exit and shot Leo a look. Before sliding into the elevator car she took a deep breath and closed her eyes.

For a moment Leo hesitated, making sure she had landed safely. He then looked up to make sure his brother's weren't having any trouble. They were doing well; by the sound of it they were having fun mocking the ninja.

Finally Leo dropped into the elevator car. Immediately Sam grabbed the hand he'd injured sliding down the cable. It was still bleeding heavily and the moment Sam grabbed it her hand was coated in blood as well. "Sam don't-" he tried, pulling his hand back.

"Shut up." She ordered through her clenched teeth in such a way that indicated she needed something to maintain her sanity. Quickly and efficiently she began wrapping his hand with the belt she'd confiscated. Leo frowned, he didn't like having to stop in the middle of enemy territory to be nursed, neither did he like how odd Sam had been acting since they'd found her. First there'd been her initial reaction to seeing them, definitely not positive. After that she'd seemed almost angry at being rescued. Then there'd been her understandable terror surrounding the elevator and now… To say the least Leo was feeling worried.

"Hey down there!" Mikey called, jumping down beside them. "Y'okay Leo?" He asked, coming over to peak at what Sam was doing over her shoulder. "Hey, is that one of their belts?"

Donnie came down next, "Leo, let me get a look at… oh…" He paused when he saw Sam was tucking the end of the belt in and that Leo's had was sufficiently bandaged until time allowed a better job. "Never mind, but I want a good look at that when this is over."

Finally Raph came down through the emergency exit. "They ain't followin' us anymore." He reported, looking confused.

Leo pulled his hand free of Samantha's. "They're probably regrouping, we'd better hurry. Don, can you take control of this thing?"

Donnie nodded, dropping his duffle on the floor and crouching in front of the control. "Without the gas? Piece of cake." Easily Donnie tore off the control panel and less than a minute later the elevator jerked slightly as it started to move.

Her best efforts to the contrary were not enough to keep Sam from whimpering slightly when she felt the movement. While the shaft had been repaired in her absence, it was still the same elevator she'd fallen in and her earlier slip wasn't easing her nerves any. Mikey frowned when he saw her distress. Quickly he slung an arm around her shoulder and announced, "Sh'alrigh' Sweetheart! It's time ta blow dis popsicle stand!"

"Oh please." Raph groaned, slapping his hand over his face.

"Could you get any cheesier?" Donnie asked, still kneeling in front of the panel, wires in hand. The turtles were relieved, and it showed. They were on their way out, the only injury was Leo's hand and Stockman's lab had been effectively remodeled. With the advantage of the elevator they would likely get out of the tower entirely before the ninja had a chance to find another route to ambush them.

But Samantha was shaking like a fall leaf in the cold wind. Under Mikey's arm he could feel that her skin was cold. Lacking any weapon she clung with both hands to the lanyard holding the keycards around her neck. "Hey Sam." Mikey said, softening his voice and dropping any trace of an accent. "Calm down, it's going to be okay.

Although she nodded Sam still didn't look convinced. She bit her lip and kept her eyes glued to the light over the elevator door, feeling her speeding heart skip as it lowered past the main floor, into the main basement, down to the second basement where it jerked to a stop and Samantha nearly screamed.

"It's alright! It's okay, this is our stop." Mikey kept an arm around her shoulders, but led her back away from the door before it opened.

The boys drew their weapons, Leo conspicuously choosing to draw only a single katana, indicative of how much damage his hand had really taken.

After the doors opened the boys glanced out into the floor beyond. It was obviously the boiler room with heavy machines giving off plenty of heat and thick pipes leading up to the rest of the tower. Steam poured out of leaks and hissed loudly. Air vents shook and the pressure contained in the area was audible.

But no ninja were in sight. At Raph's confirmation and Leo's signal they moved out, darting from the elevator to the nearest machine. Mikey held Sam's hand and helped her to keep up with the others while Leo stayed close on her other side and Donnie brought up the rear.

Once again Raph scouted the area, then led them to another one of the large machines. Donnie moved closer to Sam and pointed at a location on the opposite side of the room from where they were. "That's where we came, and where we'll be leaving." He assured her.

Sam nodded, still as jumpy here as she'd been in the elevator.

Just in front of them Raph was looking around, like he expected to see something. His hands gripped his sais and he was not giving the signal to move ahead. "What is it Raph?" Leo asked.

"Trap." Raph answered shortly. "Shoulda' seen it before we came outta the elevator." His brothers moved quickly, surrounding Sam and holding their weapons at the ready. Leo drew the katana he had previously left in its sheath, holding it firmly in his bandaged hand.

"Very good Turtle." The Shredder's voice echoed throughout the room. Foot ninja began appearing around them like oil leaking from cracks in a barrel. Quickly it became obvious that Raphael had been right and that not only were they fully surrounded, but hopelessly outnumbered.


	65. Of Stalemates and Jumping

I do not own the TMNT

The girl is insane, not my fault… okay maybe it is because sooner or later all my characters go nuts but… why her? She was such a nice girl! A good education, nice family, model student, caring big sister...*cries*

I feel the need to add a disclaimer… fights are not my strong suit.

* * *

Chapter Sixty-five; Of Stalemates and Jumping to Conclusions

* * *

The turtles moved to protect Samantha, their shells to her and the only side they weren't presenting a defensive front towards was occupied by one of the many large boilers in the room.

The man with the strange armor marched into view, head and shoulders above the Foot ninja crouched around him waiting for the order to attack. "Shredder." Raph growled. Sam frowned slightly. What kind of person went by the name of an office appliance? Then again, he did have a great deal of pointy metal bits on his suit.

"It seems I was correct in assuming Stockman couldn't hold onto his experiment a second time." Shredder mused. "I was also correct in believing that the female would bring the rest of you turtles right to me." Sam felt the blood drain from her face.

Leonardo and his brothers tightened their holds on their weapons, readying themselves. Leo didn't take his eyes off Shredder even as his mind churned, trying to come up with a solution. He knew by themselves he and his brothers would have a hard time fighting their way out of the building, but trying to protect Sam at the same time would make their escape even more difficult, maybe even impossible. Something needed to be done to improve their chances. "If you wanted us, you got us. But she has nothing to do with this anymore, let her go." Leo demanded. The chances of the Shredder accepting were narrow, but Leo had to try.

The Shredder's response was a low chuckle. "Do not take me as a fool turtle. It is true my dealings with you no longer directly concern her. However, Samantha Gelding still remains a risk on other fronts. I'm more than aware of her personal interest the financial and business world. Doubtless she has seen the content of the Disk you so graciously returned to me. I cannot allow that information to remain at large." His little speech finished he raised a fist. A wave of tension moved through the mass of ninja at his side. "Destroy them, the female first."

The Shredder's fist dropped and the Foot ninja surged forward. The turtles edged back slightly, tightening their wall of defense around Sam before the first ninja reached them. Steel rang against steel, wood struck wood and metal's singing through the air was muted as it too struck wood. Quickly the turtles moved to block more attacks or blend their first defenses onto counter attacks.

Raphael moved rapidly, rather than merely blocking swords that came his way he locked the blades with his sais, disarming the person holding the weapon and once even managing to snap a katana completely, the length of the blade clattering to the floor while the stunned ninja hesitated just a moment too long before a powerful blow to the chest knocked him back into his fellow ninja. Although Raph made full use of his ability to deal blunt force attacks the blades of his sais sported a thick coat of blood before he'd had time to inhale and exhale once. His brothers were having no difficulty in keeping up with him, all save for Leo.

Leo fought with the same efficiency and grace as he ever did. His katana swung in controlled arcs attacking, defending, bluffing. The only sign that he was at any disadvantage was the blood that dripped off the handle of his katana when he'd yet to grievously injure any of his opponents. Sparing a glance at the Shredder, Leo saw the head of the Foot clan still standing where he'd been before the battle began. Despite the mask Leo was sure he could feel his opponent's amusement at their obvious disadvantage.

Donatello's staff spun, hard and fast, trying to keep the mass of ninja back as he selected his opponents and tried to keep an eye out for his brothers. The Foot ninja were wary, experience already told them that the staff in this turtle's hands had a nasty habit of changing direction faster than physical laws should allow and it made attacking this turtle just as dangerous as any of his brothers as the staff was equally effective should it strike vulnerable targets like the face or gut, or stronger targets such as the skull or spine. "Sam, duck!" Donnie ordered, seeing a ninja further back pulling his hand to the side.

With a slight yelp Sam did as she was told, narrowly missing getting hit by the small metal star that the ninja had thrown. As the small projectile clattered to the floor Samantha looked up. She tried to take advantage of her relatively protected position to look around, find anything that might be of help. They were surrounded; running in any direction with ninja guarding it would be suicide, which left the boiler. The structure was large, a good seven feet at its highest point and round, making getting on top difficult. There was a ladder, but it was outside of the circle the turtles had formed around Sam.

"Duck Sam!" Mikey warned. Again Sam ducked. The metal that clanged against the boiler was louder and this time it was a najinata that clattered to the ground. Frightened, Sam turned back to the turtles. They were still being attacked by wave after wave of the Foot soldiers. Mikey's acrobatics were growing less dramatic, Raph's attacks seemed less forceful and more focused. Donatello remained calculating and calm but Leo… Leo was fighting the same as ever, the only sign that anything was wrong with him was the blood that had splattered on the floor one drop at a time to one side of him. They were at a stalemate that would not be broken until exhaustion started taking its toll. Sam looked up and seeing the Shredder she reconsidered her judgment of stalemate. Any moment he could step in and tip the scales dramatically.

But so could Sam and unlike the Shredder, she was sick of standing around playing useless.

Crouching down, Sam grabbed the najinata that had barely missed her head just moments before. She shifted the weapon so that she could use it for her purposes. Although the space she had to maneuver in was limited there was just enough room between Raph and Michelangelo to do what she needed to. She edged as close to where Mikey's nunchucks whirred and spun as she dared, then barked a warning of her own. "Raph! Duck!"

Even as he did as he was told Raph turned slightly to shoot her a surprised look, one that only shifted to shock as she quickly stepped towards him, planted the handle of the najinata on the floor and used it to vault completely over the red banded turtle. "Sam!?" He grunted.

Sam kicked hard at one of the ninja Raph had been fighting, then swung out with the blade of the najinata as she landed. Sure enough the nearest ninja backed up, more than convinced she would do serious damage if given the chance. This cleared the area around the ladder, which Sam quickly jumped on and climbed, barely getting high enough to be missed as the blade of a sword swung at her and clashed with the metal of the boiler ladder.

"Sam!" Mikey shouted, but he sounded more like he was cheering than shocked.

Samantha turned and stabbed the blade of her weapon at one of the ninja trying to follow her up the ladder. "Come on!"

"Duck!" All four of the brothers shouted. Sam did as she was told and a wave of throwing stars and weapons sailed over her head.

Mikey was the first to follow her up the ladder. "Awesome jump, learn that in track?" He asked.

Samantha managed a smile. "Yeah." Mikey held out a hand Sam took it. They hurried over to a large shaft coming out of the top of the boiler, providing heat for the floors above and some shelter from the weapons ninja still on the floor were throwing.

Soon Donnie and Leo joined them with Raph covering their rear. "Good going." Donnie congratulated Sam hurriedly.

Leo nodded. "You've opened us up a more or less straight route to our exit." He pointed and quickly explained his plan as his brothers warded off projectiles from the regrouping ninja below and Raph kept any ninja who climbed up after them from staying up for long. "There's a line of boilers leading almost directly where we want to go. If we can just get through there and into the sewers the advantage will be ours."

A hook swung up and caught one of the smaller pipes, the rope behind it went taught. Quickly Sam sliced the rope with the blade of her borrowed weapon. Donnie grabbed her and pulled her aside just as several shuriken flew at her, clearly the soldiers were still holding to Shredder's orders to kill the female first. "Leo, they already know we're headed for that, don't you think they'll have that exit guarded?"

"I'm open to different ideas." Leo announced, with two swipes of his katana he blocked an arrow and a manriki. Unfortunately the ninja using these weapons were on the next boiler over, effectively blocking plan A and leaving the small group as trapped now as they'd been just moments before.

But they'd broken out of their previous position.

A chain with a blade on the end just missed Sam's foot. It acted much as the grappling hook had and the blade caught between a pipe and a large bolt, securing it and allowing a foot ninja to start climbing up. As soon as Sam saw the familiar black mask she swung, only missing because the ninja had faster reflexes than she did and let go, leaving the blade to strike the chain uselessly.

"The ax was better than this." Sam growled, remembering the way she'd severed the mouser tank's chain.

Tank.

Like a lightbulb going off Sam felt a plan. "We need another exit, right?" She asked.

"Preferably." Donnie agreed. He used his staff and dislodged the bladed chain.

"Yeah, this is no fun anymore." Mikey agreed. Despite his usual attitude of endless energy he sounded like he was straining a little and had dropped his usual antic in favor of making sure nothing got past him.

Quickly Sam searched what she could see of the room, again using her advantage of having the guys cover her to look beyond the fighting. Finally she spotted something she could use. Samantha grabbed Leo's shoulder. "Do you have any more detonators?" She asked quickly.

Leo's eyes darted guiltily to Donnie before admitting, "Yes."

"Great, give it to me."

"Sam…" Leo started, clearly not happy. They'd already seen her more than willing to play with fire and what had nearly resulted still had his nerves on edge.

"Please, I've got a plan but I don't have time to explain." Sam insisted. Whatever Leo's expression was Sam couldn't see it as he was still facing away from her, guarding from attacks aimed from the other boiler.

Barely any time seemed to pass, but for Leo it was more than enough time to run the information through his head and come up with a decision. "Hold out your right hand where I can see it." He ordered. Sam did as she was told and although she didn't see Leo reach for anything he quickly moved one of his hands over to hers and dropped something in it. "When you need it, lift the clear case and push the button, it will detonate five seconds later so get rid of it quick." He warned.

"Right, will do." Sam agreed.

Before any of the guys could realize what she was doing Samantha again used the naginata to vault, this time directly into the crowd of Foot ninja soldiers beneath them.

"**SAM**!" The turtles chorused.

Immediately the attacks on the turtles almost completely ceased as the soldiers turned their attentions on the girl. She had crashed into several of them, taking them down and temporarily creating an area that the ninja who were still standing couldn't get to without stepping on their comrades and the ninja she'd knocked down hadn't recovered yet. This break didn't last a second but before the ninja swarmed around her again the guys had time to see her flip the plastic cap on the detonator.

"Sam _NO!"_


	66. Friend or Foe

I do not own the TMNT

Repeat disclaimer… fights are not my strong suit... which is why this took so dang long...

* * *

Chapter Sixty-six; Never ask Friend or Foe, Assume Foe

* * *

Travis's hair contrasted with the lighter brown fur of the doll he slept on. With Master Splinter's help, Leatherhead managed to gather the boy up without waking him.

"He stayed up much later than I'd initially expected." Leatherhead whispered. Honestly he'd expected the boy to have fallen asleep before midnight. Travis had far outdone that goal and considering the time it was not to far a stretch to imagine first rays of sunlight peaking through the city at surface level.

Master Splinter nodded. "His determination and concern is admirable." Despite having fallen asleep worry still pulled at the Travis's face, tightening his features and making him appear older than he was.

Carefully the large mutant scientist carried the boy through the spacious area the turtles had located for him to a small, somewhat closed off area where there rested a huge bed, easily large enough for Leatherhead to rest on comfortably and more than sufficient to emphasize how small and fragile a small, nine year old human could be. Leatherhead lay the boy on the bed and gently pulled the worn and patched blanket to cover Travis and his Alf doll.

As the weight of the covers settled on him Travis shifted in his sleep, burying his face in the toy's fur. "…Sam…"

* * *

"_SAM!!_"

The foot ninja closed in around Sam, blocking her from the turtles' view. Leo and Raph were ready to jump after her, were already trying but Mikey and Don held them back, more than aware of the ninja who did not attack Sam and were waiting for the turtles to try and follow her, blades poised to skewer them wherever they landed.

Just as quickly as the ninja had surged inward the crowd pulled back, suddenly allowing the turtles to see Samantha again. In just the moments she'd been out of sight she'd already been injured and was bleeding from several locations. As three ninja held her up a fourth poised to strike her down with a najinata, possibly the very one she'd been holding.

Sam looked up at the ninja and grinned darkly before barking out, "_Fire in the hole!_"

It was like the magic words. Several of the ninja in the crowd suddenly began backing up, two of the three holding Sam released her. Clearly these ninja were aware of what had happened the last time something in the building blew up. The ninja with the najinata didn't run, his blade stabbed forward hard, fast and with deadly accuracy...

…as the floor exploded.

The blast was nowhere near as impressive as Leo's earlier detonation, but it struck the najinata wielding ninja before the weapon could cause lethal damage and threw him in one direction while Sam and the remaining ninja holding her were thrown another direction.

The detonator had to have torn open a hole in the floor. It went clear through to the next floor but was only large enough for one person to fit through. As soon as the initial shock had worn off Sam managed to shake off her guard and ran for the hole, disappearing through it in seconds.

"What is she…?" Leo mumbled.

"Uh, guys? Looks like we're the life of the party again." Donnie announced.

Although a few of the foot ninja were chasing Sam one by one through the hole the rest of the foot ninja had turned their attentions on the turtles.

"Do you think they'll accept a time-out?" Mikey asked just before a deluge of projectiles headed their way.

* * *

"Bad move! Bad move!" Sam scolded herself as she darted behind a large metal structure. Close behind her chased several Foot ninja and a few workers in jumpsuits. Not all of the ninja in the room wore masks and Sam was sure that relatively few of them had been involved in the ambush on the floor above, but that didn't stop them from chasing after her when she dropped through the hole in the ceiling.

Her path was blocked when Sam ran up against a large pipe either supplying the large metal structure beside her or drawing something from it. Whatever the purpose it was burning hot and there was no way Sam could get under it or over it before the ninja following her caught up.

Suddenly a rope dropped around Samantha, effectively catching her before suddenly yanking her completely off her feet. The rope put such sudden pressure on her plastron and carapace that she was unable to inhale or even grunt as she was hauled off her feet and into the air. She landed on top of the large metal structure, squirming and kicking as she tried to get free but a firm hand clapped over her mouth and pressed down hard, muffling any noise Sam might make and pressing the back of her head painfully against an uncomfortably hot shaft.

"Be still if you want to live!" A female voice hissed.

Even before she recognized the voice Sam was fighting again, she _knew_ that voice and honestly she was terrified of it. "I said be _still!_" The woman repeated, emphasizing her words by increasing the pressure behind the hand she held Sam with and giving the rope a yank. "If I was going to harm you, you would be dead by now."

That remarked incited scorn from Sam, she calmed down enough to glare. In front of Sam crouched the female ninja who had tortured her for information, poisoned her, and nearly killed Travis. While Sam didn't know the full extent of the damage this woman had done to her family she knew more than enough to despise her.

The kunoichi ignored Sam's obvious ire. "Good. Remain silent or I will throw you in the very incinerator we are sitting on." Reiko threatened before slowly removing her hand.

Sam remained silent and still for a few seconds to prove she wasn't going to try anything before hissing, "Why?"

"Because Stockman deserves all the trouble I can afford him." The ninja replied evenly. "I recommend you remain here and stay silent until things calm down, then leave the building as quickly as possible."

"I can't do that." Sam objected.

"I don't care what you can or cannot do; just know that I will not aid you again." Quickly the ninja removed her rope from Sam, wound it up, and slipped it over her shoulder before jumping down from the incinerator.

Left alone to try and come up with a plan Sam quickly realized the truth of her own words. She really couldn't stay hidden on top of the incinerator. The structure was active and the heated metal on her bare skin threatened to burn her if she was in contact with it for too long. Just one layer of clothing would have prevented this difficulty but Sam had nothing to rely on but her shell.

Sam shifted positions on the incinerator and moved to the edge so that she could examine the room. The structure she was on took up about a quarter of the floor space, making it considerably large. Scattered around the room were various piles of garbage, paper, ash, and what looked like body bags, but Sam quickly shook that thought off. To one side of the incinerator was a pile of scrap metal, broken or damaged weapons, even what looked like the remains of an elevator car. Not far from the scrap metal there was a large bin almost filled to the brim with what looked like metal marbles.

"Not helping." Sam murmured, expanding her search. To one side of the room Sam could see the doors of the elevator. Assuming hotwired elevators worked the same way as hotwired cars, that probably wouldn't do her any good. The door next to it were equally useless, ninja and workers kept coming in and out of it.

Another side of the room held the large pipe leading from the incinerator up to the boilers on the floor above. The only other exit Sam could see was the hole she'd made in the ceiling.

One of the jumpsuit workers walked toward the incinerator. Samantha backed up to ensure that she was out of sight. After a few moments she edged forward in time to see the man pushing the large bin of metal 'marbles' away from the incinerator. Sam watched him move across the room and behind one of the large piles in the room. It looked like he dumped the load, but the sound it made was something like a giant rainmaker; they were moving down another shaft.

Slowly Sam smiled. Considering the basement the elevator had stopped at and her prior experience with this building she was almost positive she knew where that shaft would lead.

* * *

Fighting hordes of ninja was easier without a defenseless person in need of protection. The turtles were able to protect themselves from the onslaught of attacks by the Foot ninja freely with the knowledge that their teammates could defend themselves. Together they were able to push back the other ninja on the boiler with them, forcing them down and following when their landings made temporary location where it was safe to jump down. At that point it was a matter of sheer numbers… and exhaustion.

"We need to get to Sam!" Leo ordered.

"Great, tell him that." Mikey swung hard with both of his chucks, then pointed.

Between them and the exit Sam had created stood the Shredder. Once again he was easily striding towards them, but this time the foot soldiers made no move to step back so their leader could make a pretty speech. The masses of ninja pressed in harder, determined to keep the turtles where they were so their master could dispose of them at his leisure.

"All in favor of not fighting Shredder?" Donnie proposed.

"Aye!" Raph, Mikey and Leo agreed immediately.

"The motion has passed, let's go!" Donnie swung his staff and managed to catch one of the foot ninja under the jaw. Another strike to his chest and the stunned soldier fell back on his comerades, opening a temporary space for the turtles to make a run, jumping on top of the soldier and the foot soldiers behind him like inanimate planks as they leapt out from the positioned they'd more or less attempted to rest in to an area where the ninja crowding forward were not prepared for turtles coming out of the sky.

Several of them went down and stayed that way when the brothers landed on them and Mikey piped an insincere, "Whoops, sorry!" before going after any ninja who were still standing and too close with his nunchuku.

The turtles managed to press forward for several yards before the foot ninja managed to reorient themselves and once again deadlocked the turtles with sheer numbers. "This isn't working!" Raph barked. "When did they get so many of these guys?" Meanwhile the Shredder was easily passing his ninja and getting closer.

"Looks like we may not have, a choice about Shredder." Donnie announced, a slight hitch in his breathing giving away how tired he was getting.

"We don't have time for this!" Leo growled, he cast about for some way to get out of their current entrapment but short of re-attempting their previous maneuver again there didn't seem to be anything they could do. From his left two swordsmen of moderate ability jumped him when they thought he was off guard. He easily parried but the two of them distracted him enough for yet another opponent to try and land a hit.

"Leo!" Raph shouted the warning just an instant before Leo's own instincts warned him and he blocked the unseen strike, his katana clashing with the Shredder's bladded gauntlet. Blood trickled down his arm and for the first time in anyone's recolection Leo's sword shook under the strength Shredder put behind his gauntlet. It seemed that round of combat was about to be lost when suddenly the floor shook violently, bringing the battle to a standstill.


	67. Dusty Challenge

I do not own the TMNT

* * *

Chapter Sixty-seven; Dusty Challenge

* * *

"What were you thinking? Now we're both late! If we don't lose our jobs it will be a miracle!" The young nurse snapped as she and her friend ran through the streets of New York, trying to get to the hospital before someone decided just how expendable they were.

"They… might be… more worried… about why yo… your hands are… blue." Her friend panted, red in the face and having trouble keeping pace alone, much less fighting the morning crowds and pulling her hair into a tail as she ran.

"I'll wear gloves all day! Why were you even using India Ink?"

"It was a…" Whatever the nurse was going to say was cut off in a short shriek as she suddenly found herself stumbling, as was everyone else in sight. "What the…" More people shouted and screeched as the ground again shook under their feet. As the ground settled the people looked around, confused and bewildered. A woman directly between the two nurses would not stop screaming, hysteria weaving through the glass shattering notes of her panicked voice.

Around them noises of confusion and fear slowly lifted in volume only to jump exponentially when yet a third round of vibrations took place, this time it didn't stop for several minutes. The screams and shouts of fear suddenly cut out when everyone heard the blood curdling noise of metal creaking and distant crashes.

Slowly the sound abated. All remained quiet, searching the sky for signs of what might be happening. Nothing appeared, nothing collapsed. After several minutes the only proof that anything had occurred was the growing sounds of sirens.

* * *

"…ow…"

Leo pushed himself up and looked around. He could see Mikey right away, sitting up on a black clad ninja and trying to act silly despite the way his eyes subtly scanned the rubble around them. The Shredder had been standing directly next to one of the boilers when the floor supporting the heavy metal structure had cracked and given. Both had fallen out of sight but as the rest of the floor and all the other boilers were falling as well survival had become a more important matter than keeping track of one single opponent.

"Leo? Mike?" Raph climbed over a large chunk of concrete to look at his brothers. "Don?"

"Here bro." Mikey called, waving a chuck. He felt something off about it and looked at the weapon. A moment of processing and he realized one of the ends was broken clean off and all he was waving was a couple links of chain. His absurd scream confirmed to all within hearing distance that he was, in fact, not seriously hurt.

"I'm fine." Leo confirmed absently as he looked around. "But where's…"

"DON!" Raph quickly finished scaling the concrete and used it as a stand to look around the space they were in. The entire area was a mix of concrete, metal, and general rubble. Ninja lay about, mostly motionless though a few were pushing themselves to their knees and feet. "Don!" Raph called again.

A staff flew from behind another boiler half buried in rubble and nearly struck Raph in the head before he caught it. Donatello stepped into sight from where he'd thrown the staff. "Does the fact that we're still inside the Shredder's base still concern anyone else?" He asked, looking amused. Raph quickly climbed down from his 'king of the mountain' position and hurried over to help his brother, who was limping and sported blood on one leg.

"What happened?" Leo asked.

Donatello shrugged. "I'm not entirely sure. Something below us must have blasted out the lesser supports for the…" He looked up quickly. "Two levels we just fell through." The other turtles looked up as well and were able to see where two floors had broken free and in some places were still breaking free.

"Ah shell." Mikey hopped to his feet, then scooted back like he had stepped in something. He looked around the rubble with an increasing level of panic. "Sam…"

Leo was looking around at their surroundings with his 'make a plan' face, but the attempt to make a plan was quickly giving way to limited options. Few of the ninja who had been on the same floor with them were moving and several chunks of concrete and rubble sported red under the dust that was settling around them. The turtles themselves sported a number of new injuries that while not too significant announced clearly that they'd been lucky. Anyone on the two lower levels…

"We have to find her…" Mikey looked around as if he expected the answer to jump out at him. "She…"

"Mike." Raph said quietly. When Mikey looked to his brother Raph just shook his head.

Donnie was now using his staff as a crutch and clinging to it more tightly than his injury seemed to require as he solemnly analyzed the mess. Concrete flooring, pipes, wires, boilers, chutes… the only structures still standing were the primary support beams located throughout the area still holding up the rest of the tower and a few chunks of flooring still clinging precariously to their original locations overhead. He was forced to agree with the conclusion Leo and Raph had made.

"We need to get out of here." Leo said quietly.

"But…" Mikey argued.

"Come on Mike." Donnie added. "We have to go." Mikey stared at his feet for a moment before nodding reluctantly. He looked up at his brothers as they searched for some possible way out. Don had that 'computing' look while Raph and Leo were doing their 'scouting' thing. It looked almost normal except how tightly Leo was clenching his bandaged fist. The sight made Mikey frown. Leo's hand was wrapped in black, which kind of looked cool other than the bandage thing but shouldn't his hand be wrapped around…

"That way." Donnie announced, "There should be a large door we can break through opposite the elevator on the lowest level. If the rubble hasn't covered it entirely we should be able to get to the sewers from there.

"Let's go." Leo ordered. He was still being unusually quiet, but considering that wasn't too surprising. With their blue masked brother in the lead they began trekking through and climbing over the rubble. Mikey was able to use their current formation to note that not only were Leo's hands empty, but the scabbards strapped to his back were as well. Some subtle peaking revealed that Raph was down a sai as well and Donnie's bag of tricks was nowhere to be seen.

"Dude." Mikey grumbled, not happy with the situation whatsoever.

The trek took longer than it normally would have, what with the loose and somewhat treacherous footing they had to deal with as well as Donnie being slowed somewhat by his leg injury. They were nearly halfway across to begin with so there wasn't an entire room to travel. When they finally did reach the wall Donnie had indicated he stepped forward and started looking for some evidence of where this door might be. He finally slid down a slab of concrete and nodded when he found a crack in the otherwise solid concrete structure. A little further investigation and he turned to give his brothers the thumbs up; this would be their way out.

His ears alerted him and Donatello jerked his hand out of the way just as a shuriken flew past and embedded itself in the wall. Raph jumped down beside Don, remaining sai drawn and up higher Mikey made a slight move forward as though ready to stand in front of Leo if needed.

Behind them stood Shredder. His suit was worse for wear, some parts of his armor mangled and obviously damaged, but he stood. A few rather raggedy looking ninja stepped forward to back up their master.

"Turtles, you will not escape so easily." Shredder called, gauntlet at the ready.

"Dude, you are seriously getting under my shell." Mikey whined. The foot ninja leapt forward, once again initiating the battle from before the collapse. Raph and Mikey met the charge with their remaining weapons. Donnie found that with his leg injury he was trapped between two slopes, unable to climb out due to his leg injury. Leo remained behind both to try and protect Donnie and to try and figure a way out of this mess before Shredder decided to step back into play.

Shredder was in no mood to wait this time, he immediately marched forward. In passing Mikey he delivered a swift kick that easily passed the young turtle's single chuck defense and struck his plastron solidly, sending him skidding into the same trench as Donnie. Raph angrily knocked aside the foot ninja that were attempting to slow him down and growled a threat as he charged the Shredder, only to be blocked once before Shredder hauled him clean off the ground and threw him after his brother, causing both Mikey and Raph to crash into Don. With the three of them temporarily down Shredder continued toward Leo, who was now fighting with a single katana he'd taken from one of the foot soldiers.

Leo met the Shredder's charge, blocking one gauntlet with the confiscated katana and the other with his bare arm, catching the wrist rather than the blades. Before their short standoff could be broken by another attack the rubble under their feet shifted as another explosion went off not far from where they stood. A slab of concrete shifted and smaller rubble tumbled into an opened space. Leo jumped to the side, joining his brothers in the small trench then quickly helping Raph and Mikey get out of the trench before a final blast sent rubble flying through the air. The concrete around the trench shifted again and the Shredder gave a loud cry as he suddenly dropped out of sight.

"Whatever caused this is over there." Donnie said, pointing with his staff while Raph supported him on one side. The place he'd indicated wasn't far, only a few yards from where they now stood and the area itself was marked by a significantly lower level of rubble than the surrounding area.

"If that's the same thing that caused the earlier collapse…" Leo suggested.

"Hey!" Mikey was up and running before Leo could even finish his train of thought.

"Mikey wait!" Donnie warned, but Mikey didn't 'wait' until he'd arrived at the edge of a sort of crater where rubble was blown into smaller pieces than what made up the rest of the mess. Leo made sure Raph had Donnie before jumping back across the trench to where the Shredder had been. When a quick search revealed that he wasn't likely to show himself again Leo returned to where his brother's were, then hurried over to where Mikey was bending over to look at the hole.

"Huh." Mikey said when Leo was standing next to him. "Whatever did it, I don't see it."

Leo nodded. There was nothing to be seen in the hole to explain either what might have caused the series of explosions that had just happened, or the ones earlier. "Come on Mikey, we have to get out of here." Despite the big brother tone of his voice he actually sounded a little disappointed as well.

"Right." Mikey agreed, his moment of excitement passed. They turned and with a gesture Leo let the other two know there was nothing to be seen. It might have been his imagination, but Leo thought he saw Raph and Donnie look a little depressed at the news as well.

Leo started to lead the way back across the roughened terrain so they could try for the door plan again, but the sound of concrete shifting and rolling made him stop. The sound stopped for a moment, then repeated a little quieter this time.

"Eh?" Mikey turned back to the hole they'd just abandoned, Leo quickly joined him in time to see the third shift as a section of the gravel and rubble lifted up, then dropped like some breathing thing. Around the sides of the upheaval a small indent occurred as rocks seemed to drain into an open space. "Uh… Leo?" Leo put a hand on his brother's shoulder, urging him to step back some, just in case.

A forth time the gravel shifted, this time it lifted higher than the previous time and stayed up for several seconds before suddenly dropping again. "Leo?" Mikey sounded worried. "Someone's down there."

"Come on, we can't leave them." Leo said. He quickly stepped forward and slid down into the crater as the gravel started to heave yet once more. "Hang on! We're coming!" Leo shouted, starting to dig at the concrete with his hands.

"Uh, me too!" Mikey called, hurrying to join his brother. This time before the lifting section dropped again enough of the debris had fallen off to reveal the top of some kind of domed structure with a crack in it.

The two of them shoveled with their bare hands at one area until the structure lifted again and Mikey was able to get a hand under whatever it was that was lifting. Leo followed suit and they both lifted until the dome came up high enough for whoever was trapped underneath to crawl out.

Sam did so as quickly as she was able.


	68. Grownup Talk

I do not own the TMNT

Some story left, just a few more chapters.

* * *

Chapter Sixty-eight; Grown-up talk

* * *

"Travis...!"

The warning went unheeded as Travis bolted across Leatherhead's home and directly into his sister's arms. Sam was more than happy to hug her brother back, taking a moment to cuddle him close before pulling back. "You have oatmeal on your front." She scolded.

"You have blood on your front." Travis retorted as if this proved his sister was clumsier than he.

"Uh…" A quick hand over her face revealed the truth, Samantha really was a bloody mess and the other turtles weren't much better off. After frowning at the dark stain on her hand Sam turned her attention back to Travis, who now sported plenty of dust and a few flakes of blood on his oatmeal dirtied pajamas thanks to hugging his sister. He was a mess. The mutants were a mess too, almost everyone was hurt, but everyone would be okay. Sam smiled before pulling her brother back into another hug, intent on cuddling the nine-year-old until he complained loud and long. "So you figured it out huh?" She asked, referring to her identity.

"Yep, I even figured it out before Mr. Leatherhead said it." Travis bragged.

"Brat." Sam chuckled, still cuddling.

"Nerd." Her brother replied.

"First aid." Donnie interrupted their little reunion, tapping Sam's shoulder with his staff.

"You first." Raph and Mikey ordered, both getting tired of helping carry him around.

Leo stood quietly behind everyone keeping a watchful eye out until Leatherhead insisted on taking a look at his hand. Then began the task of explaining everything so that it both informed their sensei and didn't scare Travis too badly.

Leatherhead and Master Splinter moved through the team checking wounds and seeing who could be sent to shower first. Donnie's leg was treated first, then the gash just under Samantha's hairline. With the pronouncement that head wounds always bled a great deal Samantha was awarded the first shower and by the time she came out and was able to receive proper bandages on her wounds all the others had been treated and Mikey was explaining with flair and much dramatic gesturing. "… And it turns out Sam had remembered her first trip to the tower and the huge robots in the basement! She escaped the angry ninja swarms and got down there risking life, limb, and shell before taking one of the robots and blasting until the ceiling came down, saving the day! Later, she saved the day again just when it looked like the evil _Shredder_ would win by shooting the robot's guns again and knocking him down!"

"Alright!" Travis cheered. Before anyone could move on to the part about Donnie blasting the door open Travis asked. "How did she know it would knock down just the two floors, not the entire building?"

"Uh…" Mikey paused, speechless.

"And how did she know the robot wouldn't be crushed when the floors came down?" The human boy pressed, looking around for an answer.

"Eh… tell her Raphie!" Mikey dodged.

"Leo would definitely know more about that." Raph bluffed.

"Don?"

"Ah… you see…" Donnie stumbled, not sure what to say without worrying the boy about his sister's apparent suicide run.

"Because I'm a super nerd." Sam explained as she joined them again. "Just watch, one of these days I will use my powers of nerd to take over the world!"

Travis grinned. "And I'll stop you with my superpowers!" His face lit up with an idea as he added. "And I'll get the Turtle Titan to help me!" With that he nodded confidently at Michelangelo.

"Awesome." Mikey grinned, holding up a hand which Travis slapped.

"Who needs the shower next?" Sam asked, keeping an eye on her brother.

Picking up on the subtle hint, Master Splinter spoke up. "I believe my sons can wait, however, Travis is in need of cleaning up."

Travis put up something of a complaint, until Raph commented that he was starting to smell girly from hugging his sister so much, it wasn't five minutes later they could hear the water running. Leatherhead cleared his throat and mentioned something about an experiment of his before tactfully retreating from the coming conversation.

Sam joined the others around Leatherhead's table, sitting on the unusually high bench and staring at the surface of the wooden table as she waited. Master Splinter's eyes glanced with concern towards his sons, sensing there was something some of the importance to the parts they had glazed over during their account of the previous day and night's events. Sure enough, quietly, almost as if he didn't want to be heard by everyone, Leo asked the question that had been on all the turtle's minds. "Sam… would you care to explain why… why you were…"

"What was with the gas?" Raph demanded, not a whole lot louder than Leo. Donnie pretended he wasn't part of the conversation and instead set to work trying to remove the metal cuff still attached to Sam's wrist.

"I thought you were still trying to rescue my mom." Sam murmured quietly.

"So you decided you'd rather do somethin' crazy than wait for us?" Raph demanded.

"I didn't think you'd be on the same floor if… I…"

"You coulda' been –no- ya woulda' been killed!" Raph's voice broadcasted loudly his anger tainted with wisps of confusion. Sam risked a look up from watching Donnie messing with her wrist to look at the others' reactions. Mikey just looked very, very sad. Master Splinter was practically radiating concern and alarm as he learned more of what they couldn't talk about in front of Travis. Leo was… he looked like he was somehow finding a reason to blame himself for all of this, but that would be absurd.

Swallowing hard, Sam glanced down.

The conversation was getting too hard. How could she explain to them why it was so important she do what she did? It had been so clear at the time, why wasn't it now? Trying again, she pressed forward. "I couldn't… they… he… St… Stockman…" She started shaking as she tried to both find the words and force them out. "He…" Her resolve to explain herself was dissolving as her eyes traced over her skin. Small cuts had scabbed over on her hands and arms from the rubble when she'd escaped the robotic suit, adding color to the green skin littered with lighter green scars. Scars from the teeth of those mouser robots, scars from stumbling around in the sewers and in the crook of her arm… at her wrist… dozens of scars from needles, chaffing scars from leather and metal bonds, even a burn scar from a tazer… "Stockman" _had to be stopped… I couldn't leave him to do it again…_ "I"_ couldn't live with these scars._

_Me…_

_I..._

"I" _wanted to die…_ "I'm sorry." _I know you're disappointed._

Donatello had stopped fiddling with the cuff a few seconds before, without making progress. Samantha pulled her hand away, then stood up and left the table. Leo stood to follow but Master Splinter made a gesture for him to stay. The brothers watched quietly as Sam left Leatherhead's lair.

"My sons." Master Splinter said quietly. "Perhaps you should tell me of your recent adventures… all of them."

* * *

"Sam?" Travis was grinning as he poked his head out of Leatherhead's home. His hair was wet but he no longer was covered in his breakfast nor the grime he'd picked up from welcoming his sister back.

Samantha tilted her head back so she could smile up at her brother. "Wow, so you really can get clean, I was wondering."

Travis stuck his tongue out at her, then moved to sit down next to her, cuddling right up next to her side until she wrapped an arm around his shoulders. "You know, you're butt naked right?" He asked.

Frowning in fake offense, Sam corrected. "Not true. I have a headband." She tapped the bandage wrapped around her head. "And I have a bracelet." Sam indicated the cuff on her wrist. The boy wrinkled his nose when he saw what she was using as clothing. Realizing her attempt at humor had gone over like a brick, Sam hugged Travis closer and apologized. "Sorry. I guess I'm just a little tired."

"No." Travis corrected. He shook his head slightly, his hair flicked over Sam's shoulder and splattered a few water droplets on her skin. "You're unhappy. When you're tired you get boring."

"Thanks." Sam deadpanned, flicking at his wet, spiky hair.

They were quiet for a moment, just staring at the wall opposite them in the sewer tunnel. "Are you mad at me?" Travis asked quietly.

"Why? Did you pour grape juice on my DECA uniform again?" Sam quipped.

Travis frowned. "That was Dad!"

"Uh-huh, sticking with your story huh?" Sam teased. Travis gave her an annoyed push, then cuddled closer.

Another moment of silence. Something dripped somewhere in the tunnel.

"Are you mad at Mikey?"

"No."

…

"Raph or Donnie?"

"No, I'm not mad at anyone."

"Not even Leo?"

"No, I'm not mad at anyone."

"But you like him."

"Yeah, I like them." Sam answered, completely missing the question and clueless as to why Travis suddenly giggled.

Again they fell into silence. Travis remained a warm presence next to Sam's side while she let her mind wander, trying to figure out what was wrong with her. Was she sick? Had everything she'd gone through finally gone to her head and done some damage or had it been something Stockman did to her in the tower? Perhaps she was still completely sane but just not able to deal competently with such an insane series of events? It was just too confusing…

Several minutes had gone by before Travis looked up curiously at his sister. Her breathing had evened out a little while ago and her eyes were closed. "Sam?" He whispered. Getting no response he tried a little louder, "Sam?" Convinced now, he smiled and carefully slid out from under his sister's arm to get somebody to put her to bed.


	69. Afternoon

I do not own the TMNT

* * *

Chapter Sixty-nine; Afternoon

* * *

Travis peeked into Mr. Leatherhead's bedroom.

Samantha was still asleep under the covers of the large bed. Michelangelo was now curled up at the foot of the bed wrapped in an extra blanket while Raph and Donatello were on the floor. Both had extra blankets to keep warm, but somehow Donatello had acquired all of the pillows from the bed for himself.

Smiling a little, Travis quietly backed out of the room. In the main part of Mr. Leatherhead's home Leo was gathering dishes from lunch, blinking to ward off exhaustion that a couple short naps at the table couldn't rid him of. Mr. Splinter had left some time ago, looking for 'suitable quarters' –whatever that meant. Mr. Leatherhead was over by one of his big tables looking through notes and research.

Leatherhead looked up and saw Travis standing around. He wasn't overly familiar with humans, children even less so, but he'd heard things about young boys. These things he'd heard indicated it was best to keep them busy if trouble was unwanted, his experiences with the turtles verified that wholly. A moment's contemplation and a low hum later he came up with an idea. In a box of discarded supplied near his designated workspace was a very small microscope. It functioned with a mirror and worked quite well despite being far too small for Leatherhead to make use of. "Travis, perhaps I could interest you in something to do?" Leatherhead offered, retrieving the microscope in question.

The boy smiled, "Sure."

Soon the microscope was set up and Travis was contentedly looking at old slides, occasionally asking questions and mostly enjoying this little world through the monocular. Leo finished the dishes and disappeared into the bedroom for a few minutes… a few minutes that stretched out into many, many minutes and when Raph finally emerged rubbing at his neck he smirked and announced that Leo had fallen asleep practically on his feet. Travis giggled a little at this before telling Raph where he could find some food for lunch.

Travis returned his attention to the microscope and proceeded to be very industrious for several minutes. He looked at one slide, then another, then a third before returning to the first. For some reason he seemed very focused on these three slides until he finally looked up. "Mr. Leatherhead?" He asked.

"Yes, Travis?" Leatherhead asked, looking up from a much larger microscope where he was examining his own research project.

"These three are labeled 'D. blood' but they don't look anything like each other." Travis held out the slides for examination.

Carefully, Leatherhead lifted two of the slides and looked at both the slide and his own handwriting. Finally he smiled and nodded. "That is an excellent observation, young man." He complimented. Leatherhead hummed thoughtfully before continuing. "The reason is the slides were prepared differently. Would you like for me to show you how?" Travis lit up and nodded eagerly. Raph started eating his lunch cold and grumbled about Leatherhead corrupting a perfectly normal kid and trying to turn him into a geek.

* * *

Samantha woke and lay on her side staring at a random wall. She didn't hear Raph's snoring anymore so he'd probably got up and left already. Mikey was still talking, although he'd moved, and there was a mysterious absence of pillows on the bed, forcing Sam to lie with her head propped up on her arm. The position didn't ease the pressure on the bandage over her forehead any but physical pain rarely bothered her anymore.

Nearby there came quiet, sporadic voices and the sounds of silverware on dishes and dishes clinking together. The sound gave everything a rather domestic feeling. A breath slowly escaped Sam's nostrils. She tried to roll over on her back but the shell got in her way, so she changed directions and settled onto her stomach. One of the voices lifted above the subdued noise of the lair in a familiar giggle.

Travis. He was okay now. He needed to be returned to their parents as soon as possible, and Sam had to find a way to get them to leave the city quickly and quietly. Act now and they could get everyone to safety before the Foot recovered from the damage to the tower and the loss of their leader. Maybe when all that damage cleared up they'd have forgotten about the Geldings entirely…

"Mnah… heh… Underpants." Mikey murmured in his sleep, rolling over the edge of the bed. Suddenly there was a loud thud. "EEP!"

"Augh!"

"…huh?"

Sam sat up and looked at the foot of the bed in time to see Mikey getting pushed off of a rather annoyed looking Leonardo. Donatello was sitting up from where he'd fallen asleep beside the bed trying to figure out what the wound was that woke him up. Mikey quickly decided he'd had enough sleep and hurried out of the sleeping area. Donnie followed, grumbled something about hoping he could depend on Leatherhead for coffee as Leo stood up and brushed himself off, muttering.

He seemed to remember something and quickly turned around to look at Sam. When he saw she was still there Leo looked ready to say something but whatever it was he quickly stopped himself and hurried after her brothers. Sam was left sitting on the bed wondering why she felt hurt.

Slowly she pushed the feeling aside and climbed out of bed, flinching slightly when her bare feet touched the cold floor. Sam straightened the blanket and then set about retrieving the extras and then the pillows. "Why are they all on Don's side of the bed?" She muttered, grabbing the pillows and placing them back on the bed.

"Sam?" Travis asked, poking his head around the wall divider.

Samantha smiled a little, pillow in hand as she looked to her brother. "Nice to know somebody's still talking to me." She said.

Her statement only confused the boy. "Hahn?"

"Nothing." Sam assured him. She placed the last pillow and headed over to Travis. "Did you eat?"

"Mm-hm." Travis answered. He glanced over his shoulder, then hurried into the room and gave Sam a tight hug. "Raph is wrong. You don't smell like a girl."

Sam paused before returning the embrace. "Uh… thanks… I think." Travis pulled back and grinned before turning to join the others but Sam caught his wrist. "Wait a minute, what's this?" She demanded.

The boy glanced at the bandage on his index finger. "Just a cut." He said. "Mr. Leatherhead was teaching me how to make slides for a microscope… I think I made the cut too big."

"Okay… just be careful, infections are nasty." Sam cautioned.

"I know, don't worry!" Travis grinned before heading back to his project.

Samantha followed more slowly. She'd no sooner stepped into the main area of Leatherhead's lair than Mikey appeared out of nowhere and gave her a tight hug. "Good Morning, Sam!" He greeted her cheerfully.

"It's after noon Mikey." Donnie called from the mug of coffee Leatherhead had so kindly provided.

"Good Afternoon, Sam!" Mikey re-greeted Sam cheerfully before putting her down.

"Good Afternoon." Sam repeated, smiling. Although Mikey and Travis were upbeat as ever, Samantha noticed that Donatello seemed to be very interested in the table and Raph was busy washing dishes, he hadn't even turned to look at her once. Leo was nowhere in sight, but then, neither was Master Splinter.

Mikey guided/pestered Sam over to the table and sat her down, then hurried to retrieve a plate of food for himself as well as Donnie and Sam. Samantha thanked him and picked up a fork.

"I'm sorry." Donnie said.

Sam and Mike both looked at him in confusion. "Dude, sorry for what?" Mikey asked.

"I tried to get that off… but I couldn't." Donnie clarified, tilting his mug towards the cuff still on Samantha's wrist.

"Oh… that?" Sam looked more closely at the metal band. She hadn't a clue how they'd put the thing on her in the first place, much less how to get it off. It didn't have a keyhole or anything obvious like that, the only indent on the surface was an area that looked like a fancy plug; where the chain had been attached. A thought made Sam bite her lip. "You don't think… like my shell?" she asked.

"Do not worry Samantha." Leatherhead called from his work station. Travis looked up from his little microscope but didn't seem able to follow what they were talking about. "I have set up my home so as to prevent the intrusion or escape of unwanted electrical signatures. If there is such a device, it is not currently traceable."

His assurance relieved Sam's worry on the matter. She turned her attention to the food. For the moment, at least this moment, Sam didn't want to think about anything else.

While Samantha and the turtles dug into their respective meals, Leatherhead continued working. He'd been focusing on this project since the idea had first occurred to him some days ago. His intention the previous day prior to encountering Samantha and her brother in the tunnels with that machine had been to visit the lair and personally deliver his discovery, but circumstances being what they were the timing was clearly not quite right. For the moment, he settled for retesting his conclusion and collecting more data.

Leatherhead added a pale, clouded solution to a few drops of fresh red blood and then carefully mixed the solution together. He smiled a bit, the edges of his mouth quirking upwards. The evidence wasn't concrete yet, but a few more tests and he'd be sure. If he was correct, this could be wonderful news.

* * *

The latex gloves had to be pushed completely into the trash bin because they were too light to just throw in. After the gloves were out of sight the nurse grabbed a wad of toilet paper to be used as a tissue.

Some days there was just no good. She and her friend had been on the streets right next to Oroku tower when their complicated utilities systems had apparently malfunctioned and blown apart, shaking the nearby streets and terrifying anyone who felt it. The nurse herself had arrived at the hospital with her friend helping to support a woman suffering a panic attack. No sooner had the woman been checked in than she'd been informed that one of the patients under her watch had gone critical in the night. It didn't look good.

"How long are you going to hide in there?" The nurse's friend asked.

"We should have told somebody… we should have said something…" The nurse sobbed into the toilet paper. "I knew she wasn't a real doctor… I _knew!_"


	70. Worst kind of news

I do not own the TMNT

Add and Apology; I am currently working on developing another story at the same time I'm finishing this one. The other story has a main character by the name of Megan. Megan has a tendancy to wander around and find herself lost in other stories. Please just let me know if you see her so I can send her home, thanks!

* * *

Chapter Seventy; The Worst Kind of News

* * *

On a few occasions a person can feel when something is about to go horribly wrong.

Samantha had no such sensation when she'd first encountered Oroku Saki nor in the moments before she was kidnapped. However, when she stood in Leatherhead's lair listening to Travis as he reiterated everything Leatherhead had just taught him about blood and microscopes, Samantha felt her blood run cold. Sam wasn't even aware of why she felt the need to look to the main entrance of the formerly abandoned subway station. She expected to see Leatherhead returning from his trip to retrieve some more microscope slides. Instead, she saw Leonardo and Master Splinter walk into the room. Leo looked heartsick, Master Splinter was clearly grieved of something, but he composed his features more carefully than his son.

"Samantha?" Master Splinter asked quite seriously. "May we have a word with you?"

Sam struggled with keeping the frown off her face and the worry from her brow. "Sure, I'll be right there." She said cheerfully. Turning to Travis she smiled. "I'll be back in a bit, cool stuff you got here."

Travis nodded and turned back to the microscope as Sam hurried off to see what the matter could be. Hopefully he would stay out of trouble until the others got back from scouting around to find a new home for the turtles.

Leo and Master Splinter were waiting for her in the bedroom. Leo took Sam's hand and gently indicated that she should sit on the bed before anything further be said. Sam looked from Leo to where their hands were still joined before looking back to Master Splinter. "What happened?" She asked. It was a struggle to keep the fear from her voice.

"We returned to the lair." Master Splinter began. "We investigated for signs of any further intrusion and found none. Seeing as it was safe for the moment we chose to watch the news to see if there was any new information on the Foot clan's activities."

"Oroku Enterprises." Sam nodded, remembering what she'd learned from the disk.

"Yes." Master Splinter confirmed. "Oroku Saki's business endeavors present a respected front to cover the activities of his clan."

Sam frowned for a moment. "Oroku Saki, he's the Shredder, isn't he?"

Master Splinter nodded, again confirming her words. There was a sense of urgency in his gaze, as if there were something very important she had to understand before she could learn what the true problem was. "Oroku Saki was on the television, giving a speech." He told her.

"One of his speeches?" Samantha didn't understand. Why would this be important? There was no way unless… "No…" She glanced between Leo and Master Splinter. "It wasn't Live, was it?"

"Yes. It was." Leo seemed much like his father, waiting to get one point across to get to another.

"That's _impossible_!" Sam half shouted. She released Leo's hand and stood to her feet "You said he was crushed in the rubble! Don said he _couldn't_ have survived! How is he making a speech?"

"Sam…" Leo made a useless gesture to try and calm her.

"He should be dead! How is this possible?" Sam was pacing again.

"It is more than possible. This is not the first time Saki has escaped what appeared to be certain death." Master Splinter

"Great! What is he, a cockroach? Yes! He's a cockroach. A disgusting, diseased, stubborn little vermin that-"

"Sam!" Leo interrupted, grabbing her arm. "Please, we… we have more to tell you." He sounded pained.

Sam froze at the tone and turned toward him, once again frowning and confused. "It couldn't possibly be worse than the Shredder." She said hesitantly, "… could it?"

Leo started to reply, but he couldn't seem to find the words.

"Samantha." Master Splinter placed his hand on her arm, right over Leo's. "Please. Sit." Sam sat. The two stood facing her as the rat continued. "That Oroku Saki is alive is important for you to know as it affects your family's safety. But currently, the fact that he was giving a speech does not hold as much weight as the contents of his words." Master Splinter bowed his head for a moment before once again meeting her gaze. "Oroku Saki was giving condolences to your family."

Any remaining warmth seemed to drain from the room. "Condolences?"

Leo's hand rested on Sam's shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze, reassuring her that he was there before his teacher continued. "I wish there were better words to deliver such tidings, Samantha." Master Splinter continued.

"Your father has died."

For a moment the rat's words refused to hold any meaning, and then they sunk in with all the gentleness of a middle eastern stoning "…daddy…" Samantha's whole being gripped tenaciously at the memory of her father's face, his hug, his smell. Her mind rejected the thought. He was big, safe, strong. He was her father, her Daddy. He protected the family just with his presence. He was his sister's prince, his wife's dearest, his children's hero… how was it possible?

"_**NO**_!/b/u" Travis's voice tore through the silence and shock, causing all three mutants to jump. He stood right where he'd stepped out from his little hiding place and glared at the three defiantly. Although his word was absolute rejection, tears were already running down his cheeks. "It's not true! You said he was okay! You said he wasn't hurt bad." His breath hitched, trying to find enough air for a sob around his shouts. "It's _not true_!"

Samantha stared at him. She couldn't move. Her mind refused to tell her what to do about her little brother's hurt.

_Daddy…?_

No, focus, Travis. He needs you!

"**It's not true!**" Travis shouted again, he then turned and ran from Leatherhead's home.

_Travis!_ "Travis!" Without thinking, Samantha darted after him.

She'd just reached the door when a large hand gripped her arm gently but firmly. "Miss Samantha, where are you going? You should not leave this area until the cuff on your wrist has been removed!" Leatherhead spoke calmly, but his confusion grew when he saw how desperate the young girl was.

"But... Travis..." She faultered. Leo caught up and gently took Sam from Leatherhead. She leaned against him in a state of shock.

Master Splinter was just behind his son. "Leatherhead, Samantha and Travis have both recieved the worst kind of news. Please, contact Donatello and inform him that Travis may be lost in the sewers."

Leatherhead nodded, hurrying to his lab. "Of course Master Splinter."

Turning to Leo Master Splinter added almost unnecessarily, "Leonardo, you will stay with Samantha. contact us know if Travis returns." Leo nodded and his sensei ran into the sewers to begin the search for the young human boy. Leatherhead was speaking into a modified version of the shell cells as he too left.

Left behind, Leo gently lowered Samantha to the floor, sitting with her as he waited for her to recover. Samantha turned slightly, burying her face in his plastron as he wrapped his arms around her protectively. Though she shook slightly, Samantha did not cry.


	71. Guarded Hearts

I do not own the TMNT

Add and Apology; I am currently working on developing another story at the same time I'm finishing this one. The other story has a main character by the name of Megan. Megan has a tendancy to wander around and find herself lost in other stories. Please just let me know if you see her so I can send her home, thanks!

* * *

Chapter Seventy-one; Guarding the Heart.

* * *

"TRAVIS!"

"LITTLE DUDE!"

"WHERE ARE YA, KID?"

Travis sat inside a pipe that joined the larger tunnels near the floor. It was too small for any of the turtles to fit through, not to mention Leatherhead. Even if they were to bend down and look in the pipe they wouldn't see anything because the pipe curved around and up. Unless Mr. Splinter or Sam crawled up the pipe nobody would find him. If those two should find him anyway it would be too hard to pull him out.

"TRAVIS!"

He wasn't going to answer. Travis was just going to sit there and wait. Sooner or later they'd realize they couldn't get him out. They'd have to get help.

"OLLEY, OLLEY OXEN FREE!"

They couldn't call the police or anything, so that meant they'd have to call Travis's parents. He wasn't going to crawl out for anyone but his dad and that was all there was too it.

"Any sign?" They were right outside the pipe now.

"Nuttin'. He could have made it to Jersey by now!"

"Just hope he didn't go down." Footsteps and silence.

Curled up tightly, Travis wiped bitterly at his wet face with a sleeve. His dad was okay, it was a lie. Mom always said don't believe everything you hear on television, especially the news. It was a lie… a dirty, dirty lie. Travis's dad was fine. Just like… like…

"It would appear my sons have for gotten at least one of their old hiding places." Master Splinter spoke softly, but still startled the boy enough to make him bang his head on the top of the stone pipe. The rat's tone became sympathetic as Travis whimpered and rubbed his head. "Though, they had abandoned this one before having reached your age."

Travis glanced down the side of the pipe Mr. Splinter's voice was coming from. The rat didn't seem to be in the tunnel but he definitely knew Travis was in there. Or was he faking it? Maybe if Travis stayed quiet he'd leave and talk to another empty pipe.

A few moments passed and Travis was beginning to think his plan had worked until Mr. Splinter spoke again. "Travis, I understand that you do not wish to believe what you have been told. I assure you that as painful as it is to accept, it is the truth."

_Is not! Is not is not **is not!**_

"Please consider, as deep and sharp as your own pain is now, how do you suppose your sister and mother feel?" He resisted at first, but after a moment he couldn't help but think about it. Sam had always been their daddy's little girl. And Travis didn't know too many other parents that still got all mushy around each other, so his mom and dad had to love each other a whole lot. "It is difficult to be strong in such times. Hiding from such pain would be easy. Being strong for others when you would prefer to be alone is often painful. I have discovered that as difficult as it is to be strong for others, such courage lends one even greater strength." Travis sniffed again. Slowly he considered the old rat's words. He wasn't sure that he completely understood what Mr. Splinter meant, but Travis caught the gist of it.

"I was in the darkest period of my life when I discovered my turtles." Mr. Splinter continued. His voice was softer and he sounded a little closer. "It was caring for them at that time from which I learned this lesson."

Slowly Travis mulled over this information. Finally he moved from his seated position and crawled toward the pipe's opening. Once his head and shoulders were in the larger tunnel Travis could see Mr. Splinter crouched next to the pipe he'd 'hidden' inside. "You mean; if I help Sam and Mom, I could feel better?" He asked.

Mr. Splinter regarded him compassionately. "Healing from such wounds of the heart always takes considerable time, however, helping others makes the healing easier and more complete."

"Like a band-aid?" Travis was still trying to fully understand.

After considering the analogy, Mr. Splinter agreed. "Yes, very much like a band-aid."

Carefully Travis crawled the rest of the way out of the pipe and stood up, taking Master Splinter's hand as the old rat stood with the aid of his cane.

* * *

Master Splinter and the others had been gone for well over an hour. Samantha still didn't seem to know whether to simply fret over her missing brother or begin grieving her father. On occasion she'd start to gain some sense of awareness and take in her surroundings with intelligent observation, but then she'd slip back into the withdrawn emptiness that seemed to weigh on her like so many iron chains.

She sat at the table, staring listlessly at a glass of water Leo had retrieved for her. Although the glass was cool enough for a light coating of sweat to coat the outside surface, Sam hadn't touched it. She was pale and her skin held a chill that concerned Leo enough to retrieve a blanket for her. When the material had fallen around her shoulders Sam had blinked at it and managed to gather enough of herself to thank Leo, but after that it was as though she didn't have the strength to even hold the blanket up. Sitting beside her, Leo held the blanket in place by wrapping an arm around her shoulders.

Their rather forlorn figures was what Travis saw when he returned to Leatherhead's home. Travis looked at them for a moment before looking up to Master Splinter. Master Splinter smiled gently down at the boy and Travis nodded resolutely. He released the rat's hand and hurried across the floor to the table, then crawled into his sister's lap. Although he was getting too big for this sort of cuddling, Sam didn't complain as she wrapped her arms around him and held him close. Leo moved aside to let the two comfort each other. As he did so he caught the look of determination on Travis's face. Before that moment Travis had always looked a little too young for nine. Quite suddenly the boy looked too old for nine.


	72. Delayed Healing

Looking over my old chapters I've come to a very important conclusion!

^^; I need to be more careful with grammatical errors. *sigh* Ah well. I'm working to turn over a new leaf in my writing, but until then;

* * *

Chapter seventy-two; Delayed Healing

* * *

Sam sat curled up with her eyes closed. If she kept her eyes closed she could pretend.

Pretend that she was back at her apartment; undestroyed and safe.

Pretend she was sitting on her parents' bed in her own pajamas.

Pretend it was her mother running a brush through her hair and preparing to braid it.

But when she opened her eyes Sam saw the truth in the mirror in front of her. April sat behind her, putting aside the brush and reaching for some yellow ribbon. The pajamas Sam wore to keep warm were overlarge, old man pajamas from the store rolled up to keep her hands and feet uncovered.

Behind April and Sam, Travis had fallen asleep on the bed, curled up around the Alf doll.

"There." April announced, tying off the end of Sam's new braid.

Sam reached back and touched the braid. Her hair was a little softer now, having been washed and conditioned properly since staying with April, and a slick strip of material danced in and out of the braid under Sam's fingers, probably adding a rather pretty splash of color. As the braid thinned out and the final little brush of loose hair slipped through Sam's fingers she saw the redhead staring at her in the mirror. "Thanks, it's nice." She said appreciatively.

April sighed and patted the younger girl's shoulder. Sam wasn't sure what she'd done to disappoint April so. "No problem. I'm going to sleep, are you alright here?"

Sam jumped to her feet, "No! You don't have to sleep on the couch again!" It might have been considered acceptable to have the building nearly torn apart when mousers are tracking her, but making April sleep on the couch two nights in a row seemed unforgivable.

April brushed the argument off. "You need to stay with your brother, and the couch is too small for the both of you. Besides, I bought that couch because it was comfortable." She tactfully neglected to mention that after having teenage turtles sleep and wrestle on the couch it was fully broken in and somewhat less comfortable than it used to be.

Smiling, April gave Sam's shoulder another sisterly pat, then headed to the living room, leaving the bedroom door cracked behind her in a protective gesture.

Left in the dim light of the bedroom, Sam stood alone for quite a while before she slowly sat back on the bed. For a few minutes she heard April bustling around the apartment, but soon the light coming from the crack in the door went out and the apartment fell to silence. Behind her Sam could hear the soft sound of her brother's breathing, but otherwise she was alone. She'd come to both dread and desperately need these moments of unsupervised quiet. During the day her brother stayed with her as constantly as he could –bathroom breaks pretty much the only exception. At night she and her brother slept in the same bed. When Travis had nightmares his sister was there to comfort him. Thankfully, what little sleep she managed was dreamless. Dreamless sleep was precisely what she needed, because in many ways it seemed her days would turn into nightmares.

Before too long Sam was going to have to send Travis back to their mother. She knew it was necessary, Mrs. Gelding needed him, but Sam needed him too. Watching him leave was going to hurt, hurt bad. And then, even in the company of the Hamato clan, Leatherhead, April, and Mr. Jones, Sam was going to be alone. She couldn't quite bring herself to fully grieve for her father knowing that soon she would be losing her brother again and that in a way she'd already lost her mother. Or maybe she'd only lost herself?

A brisk shake of the head rid herself of the odd thought. Turning, Sam crawled onto the bed and lay down. She waited until her eyes had fully adjusted to the dark, watching as her little brother's sleeping face came into focus. After watching him sleep for a length of time Sam gently reached out and brushed some of the hair from his face. She then tucked her hand under her cheek and watched him until she felt sleep pulling at her as well.

"Tomorrow." She whispered. "Tomorrow."

* * *

"… nuh… no… No… don' wanna… _I don't want to_!" With a shout he sat up to indicate the proof of his refusal and in doing so unbalanced himself and fell off the bed. "Ouch!"

Travis sat up, confused as slowly he remembered why he was in a stranger's home, sleeping in a strange bed. When it all came back to him he grinned. "Cool, no homework!" Relieved to be free of his educational nightmare, Travis kicked free of the blankets still catching at his feet and grabbed his fellow victim of bed falling –the stuffed doll- before hopping up to greet his sister.

Samantha was not on the bed.

Though there wasn't anything wrong with this Travis didn't like it one bit. He was supposed to be helping Sam. He was more convinced that she needed him now than when Mister Splinter had suggested it. In the days since their dad had… since he'd died, Samantha hadn't laughed, or smiled, or even cried. Sure she still acted like Sam did for the most part, but she wasn't acting like _his_ Sam. Travis knew it was normal to cry. He could vaguely remember Sam crying about their grandmother's dying even though he didn't remember his grandmother himself. She cried when the dog in a movie died. Heck, Travis could remember her getting sniffly when _Godzilla_ was supposed to be killed in the movies. Her not crying now was... was wrong somehow.

With a yank Travis returned the blankets on the bed to some semblance of order and then set the Alf doll on top before hurrying down the hall to find his sister. Sure enough she was in the kitchen talking to Miss April.

"…It's got to be today." Samantha was saying.

"But are you ready?" Miss April asked. Travis stopped hurrying. He could hear his sister was okay so maybe he could stop and use the bathroom first.

"That doesn't matter." Samantha sounded a little flat. She didn't like whatever it was they were talking about.

"But it's only been three days."

"I'm sure Mom doesn't see it as 'only'." Travis froze just inside the bathroom. iMom?/i

Miss April sighed. "Sam, sometimes maybe… maybe you could think of yourself first? Being a little selfish isn't always wrong, you know."

"Not in this case. Travis _needs_ to go back, today."

Suddenly Travis felt very, very cold.

* * *

I've been gone for forevers! Welcome me back with some reviews? Seriously, let me know if I'm rusty or anything like that... 'cause I probably am.


	73. Man of the House

I do not own the TMNT nor related characters and themes. Sam and Travis Gelding are mine.

* * *

Chapter seventy-three; Man of the House

* * *

Three days had passed since it had been decided for the Geldings to rest at April's store while the search was made for a new Lair. Last Leo had seen the two; Travis was doing remarkably well, carefully watching his sister and always eager to help when he could. Samantha had still been in a state of… it wasn't grief. More like a state of emotional withdrawal, like she'd let an important part of herself slip into the deepest part of her shell and hide there. From phone calls April had let the guys know that Sam was doing a little better, talking some.

The turtles had located a suitable location for a new lair and since Stockman wasn't likely to follow up with another attack after the explosion in his labs Master Splinter had agreed that the two could return to the tunnels to help with the move –if they wanted and were able. Leo had volunteered to personally let them know and, if they were interested, guide them back safely.

Leo hit the roof of April's store and made his way down the fire escape to the window of April's apartment. A quick tap on the window and he waited. Soon April opened the window. "Leo! What a surprise!" She glanced behind her and sighed. "Welcome to the drama." April warned before stepping back so Leo could come in. The turtle climbed in and when he saw what April was referring to he had to quell the urge to be amused.

Samantha stood in the kitchen, nearly off balance and staring in bewilderment at Travis. Travis had wrapped himself around his sister's leg; holding tightly with his arms and legs while clamped tightly between his teeth was a mouthful of pajama pant. "Travis! Get off!" Sam insisted.

Travis growled as he shook his head. A few snaps were heard as threads in the pajamas gave way under the abuse. He clung to his sister's leg so tightly that her foot must have been going numb.

"He's been like this for at least five minutes." April explained.

"You're not three anymore! That hurts!" Samantha tried to give her leg a shake, but the boy was too heavy. "Travis! Please! Let go!" In reply Travis growled again.

Leo looked to April. "What brought this on?"

The woman shook her head sadly. "Sam was telling me she wants to send Travis home. Today. He must have overheard."

"TRAVIS! I'm going to- AUHCK!" Sam lost her balance and fell to the floor. Still attached to her, Travis now lay tilted sideways, still gripping the pajamas in his teeth.

"You grab Sam, I'll grab Travis?" Leo suggested.

"Sounds good." April agreed, then moved into position. She gripped a somewhat sore Samantha under the arms while Leo seized Travis about the waist and easily lifted him. There was a moment when Travis continued to drag Sam as Leo picked him up, but he realized his defeat in a moment and released her.

"I'll try to calm him down?" Leo announced, still holding Travis in front of him without trouble. Travis had settled for crossing his arms and looking very grouchy. Sam didn't seem to know what to say, she was staring at her brother in complete, speechless bewilderment. April nodded and started to help Sam to her feet while Leo carried the boy into April's bedroom.

Once Sam was on her feet she leaned heavily against the counter. "I… I'm sorry, I don't… I don't know…" She stuttered the apology. April shushed her by pulling Sam into a hug. After a moment she felt the younger girl start to relax and when she was sure Sam was more in control of herself April gently released her. Samantha stood quietly thinking, biting her lip and tilting her head forward as was her habit.

April placed a hand on Sam's shoulder and waited until she looked up. She did, looking more distracted and confused, but less turbulent than she had at the breakfast table earlier. "Looks like I need to make breakfast for two more, care to help?" Judging from the relief that flooded Sam's posture she was definitely willing for the offered distraction. Sam was set to work while April heated the pan up for more eggs and put the kettle on, assuming Leo would want tea and maybe Travis could be spoiled with a little hot chocolate.

Leo soon came out of the bedroom. He nodded to April as she handed him his breakfast, then slipped past Leo to take Travis' food to him in the bedroom. Leo sat at the table and started to eat, watching Sam where she now sat sipping a glass of milk. He finished his food, then nursed his mug of tea while Sam sat and stared into the abyss more than she drank. When both the food and the tea were gone Leo felt it was time to get to the subject at hand.

"Maybe Travis should stay a little longer-"

"No."

She spoke so quickly that Leo blinked. He wasn't entirely sure whether he had been interrupted or not. "What?"

Without change of expression or movement she explained. "I said 'no'. Travis needs to go back to Mom as soon as possible. He's been here too long already." Her head tilted just enough to glance at the mug in front of him. With just the same tone she asked, "Would you like some more tea?"

Leo hardly glanced at the mug. "No. Sam, you can't just dismiss him like that. You need him here." Sam stood, picked up the empty glass and mug, then moved to the sink where she put them in the soapy water that was already drawn up and just waiting for Travis' breakfast things. Frustrated, Leo stood and moved to where she was, purposefully drawing too close. Before she realized what he was doing she stepped back to avoid him and he succeeded in cornering her.

She immediately dropped any pretense at avoiding the conversation. "I'm his older sister! _I have to protect him!_"

Leo flinched, he stepped back as though from a blow. "Not like that!" Sam immediately objected, reaching out she gently took his hand. "You've saved him, my mother, my aunt… and me… so many times." She glanced down at the bandage still wrapped around his hand. "So many times." This repetition held a note of wonder, a hint of whatever was still left from before any of this madness had occurred. She shook it off. "I have to get him back to Mom. I have to get them out of New York and away from… from everything as soon as possible.

"Everything?" Leo asked quietly.

"Everything." Sam repeated, determined.

"Even you?"

"As far as Mom knows I've been dead for months. Travis… he'll be okay." Without realizing it Sam had let her gaze stay too far down for eye contact. She was still looking at the bandage on Leo's hand, not at his face. Mentally berating herself for that show of weakness, she forced herself to look up and meet his eyes.

Leo's expression perplexed Sam. It was very serious, yet neither stern nor authoritative. "Sam, you may be Travis' older sister, but with your father's death he became the man of the house. Believe me; even at nine years old that kind of responsibility is very real. Sending him away like you're planning, will he really be okay with that?"

That statement set Sam back. She wasn't sure what she thought of the idea that her kid brother now had a responsibility, even a partial one, to protect _her_.

"Your mother is with family, your aunt and uncle. I'm sure the police are keeping an eye on them. But when Travis goes back, who do you have with you? Really?" The strange expression softened at the edges. Gently Leo lifted his free hand and brushed aside a short lock of hair that had fallen free of the braid and insisted on resting almost in Sam's eyes. "We'll do all we can for you Sam, but in the end it's better if you stayed with Travis. For the both of you."

Sam shook her head to ward off unwanted breaks in her guard. "But… but the more he's here, the more I want him to stay." She argued weakly. "If I don't send him back to Mom…" Her voice caught. "If I don't… I won't." Her voice failed her entirely. She dropped her gaze again and took a deep breath, trying to rally her thoughts.

"Don't I get a choice?" Leo and Sam both turned to face Travis. He stood with April carrying his dishes just behind him. The tantrum of earlier had obviously cleared and once again returned that strange, older look. It was an even stranger look when combined with the Alf doll he was carrying again. "If I call Mom, tell her I'm safe -or call the police and tell them- can't I stay… just a little longer?"

Sam was clearly torn. "Travis…" She argued weakly.

Before she could present her argument Travis grabbed the back of the Alf doll's arm and pulled something shiny out of the shoulder. He hurried over and held his hand out. Sam accepted the item, then gaped when she recognized it.

The silver necklace. Still glittering brightly.

"Travis!" Sam gasped.

Leo was in as much a state of confusion as Sam. He'd noted it's disappearance after Sam's rescue and had assumed it gone forever, another casualty of the Shredder. "Where did you find that?"

Travis held the faintest hint of a smile. "Mr. Leatherhead found it in the sewers. He told me to hide it and give it back to Sam as soon as I could. So I hid it in here." He held up the Alf doll and gave the arm a little pull, revealing the hole in the shoulder. "You still suck at fixing things." He accused impishly.

Continuing with his purpose, Travis held the Alf doll tightly as he spoke with all the severity of an old man. "Mom used to say that you got that old, expensive necklace from Grandma when I was born so you'd have to take care of me. Well… don't you have to be here to take care of me?"

Sam looked from the necklace, to Travis, to Leo, back to the necklace. She repeated this bout of confusion, even looking to April. Finally she sighed. "Alright. He can stay for a few more days…"

"YEAH!" Travis leapt forward and hugged her tightly around the waist. April burst into a broad grin. Leo smiled too, placing a hand on the head of the boy he was beginning to grow fond of and giving it a little pat.

"…BUT! We have to let Mom know you're okay! And we need to figure out what to tell her and the police! And…"


End file.
